Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken full control of its air space on Thursday December
5, 2019. for the first time ever after its 1990's war of independence led to a
period of oversight by international peace forces. Control over its air space was maintained by NATO-led peace
forces from 1995 until 2003 when it was transferred to neighboring Serbia and
Croatia while Bosnia built up and modernized its own system.
“This is the first time ever that Bosnia and Herzegovina takes control of
its air space and it is an enormous success, bearing in mind that (neighboring)
Montenegro, a NATO member, does not control its own skies,” Davorin Primorac,
head of Bosnia’s Air Navigation Services Agency (BHANSA), said on Wednesday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina took control of air space below 10,000 meters (33,000
feet) in 2014 following a 10-year project to establish its own air navigation
management system and after the training of some 400 staff. Serbia and Croatia
retained control above 10,000 meters just as they were doing when all three
countries were republics in the former Yugoslav federation.
Primorac said it had taken decades for Bosnia and Herzegovina to take over
its air space because its 1992-95 war, had devastated majority of infrastructure and equipment and left it short
of skilled workers.
It took considerable time to train flight controllers,
rebuild infrastructure and obtain necessary equipment, including radar systems,
he said, adding that BHANSA intended to further upgrade its capacities. Primorac said "Bosnian flight controllers will oversee up to
1.600 flights on a busy day, eight times more than previously.
After taking over its air control service from
Croatia and Serbia, BHANSA’s budget would rise to 72.5 million Bosnian marks ($41 million) in 2020 from 60 million marks this year" he added.
Source:Reuters
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