Kigali, 13th May 2019: Today, Hon. Minister of State in charge of Transport, Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye officiated the launch of a one-week Training Course on Aviation Incident Investigation organised by AVIASSIST in collaboration with Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), RwandAir, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure, University of Rwanda (UR), University of Tourism Technology and Business Studies, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) and ATR.

Speaking at the opening, Hon. Minister of State in charge of Transport, Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye thanked the organizers of this important training especially AviAssist Foundation and the University of Rwanda for having brought this rare aviation safety training in Rwanda which benefits the safety inspectors who will be able to prevent accidents and serious incidents in the industry.

“Aviation Safety is our one the core sectors in the aviation industry and which we should put more emphasis in order to have more sustainable and reliable airlines that will help to transport our people and be able to develop our societies”, Hon. Minister of State Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye mentioned.

He said that the Government of Rwanda is very much committed to develop aviation industry and become a knowledge-based in collaboration with other institutions like AviAssist on international level and the rest of the world.

“All over the world, he said, the air transport industry has been working hard on the implementation of Safety Management System and State Safety Programs as required by International Safety Standards and recommended Best Practices (SARPs)”

Hon.Minister of State Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye further said that effective safety management systems depend on the quality of the investigation reports of safety occurrences and which identify not just what happened, but why it happened and come up with lessons to be learned before it accelerates to fatal accidents that claim the lives of the people and their properties.  

“In reality, a small team often carries out investigations and this training, should ensure that investigators possess the necessary skills, experience and support to carry out their duties”, he concluded.

Participants to the Aviation Incident Investigation course include professionals from Civil Aviation Authorities, airports, Air Navigation Service Providers, Accident Investigation Authorities and airlines (operators) from Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, RwandAir, Kenya Airways, Akagera Aviation and other African airlines companies from Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Nageria.