Precision Air completes a five phase re-certification process; gets AOC, AMO certificates from TCAA

PrecisionAir ATR 42 Reg. 5H-PWH MSN 1001, parked outside Precision Air AMO hangar.

PrecisionAir became the first airline in Tanzania to have successfully undergone a five phase re-certification process and get an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) plus Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) certification by Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA).

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, the airline’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sauda Rajab said her company received the two important documents after a three months TCAA inspection of facilities and verification of operating manuals process.

“It was a lengthy and involving process which fortunately took only three and a half months although it can sometimes take up to two years,” said Sauda. She pointed out that PrecisionAir can now fly any route within the country and service own ATR family of aircraft.

“It means a lot to us in terms of safety of our equipment, qualifications and experience of our crew which then translates to safety of our passengers and goods,” she pointed out.

She noted that with the AMO certificate the airliner can now service its own aircraft and avoid paying hard currency to have them serviced abroad. “We have been spending a lot of money to service our planes abroad but now this will be done by our own engineers here,” the GMD cum CEO pointed out.

She also hinted that PrecisionAir management will be looking into establishing aircraft maintenance as a separate business in the near future.

The company’s Technical Director, Gennaro Sicurezza said PrecisionAir has good engineers who can service their planes locally but also a team of highly motivated pilots and cabin crew members.

“We are proud to say that a local Tanzanian airline can offer competent services of global standards,” Sicurezza said noting that most Tanzanians have the skill and knowledge to fly passenger jetliners and service them.

He said as the company moves to seek EASA certificate, it will train more of its engineers abroad to acquire skills that will enable the company service latest global passenger planes. “We will send our engineers to Europe starting this year to undergo training in services other types of aircraft,” Sicurezza noted.

PrecisionAir is a member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) which audits the airline every two years to ensure that it complies with global safety standards, a key factor for all its members.

IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 260 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic. 

PrecisionAir is the only Tanzanian airline that has passed and attained the IATA Operator Safety Audit (IOSA) certification.