Bahrain hosts 15th MIDANPIRG

Manama, June 10 (BNA): Under the patronage of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT) hosted the 15th meeting of the Middle East Regional Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Group (MIDANPIRG/15) this week. Chaired by Ali Ahmed Mohammed, Director of Air Navigation at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the meeting was attended by a total of 90 participants from 13 countries, including Middle East Region member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), non-Middle Eastern States and seven international organizations from the aviation industry. The event is being held from 8-11 June 2015. Commenting on the meeting, Ahmed AlNemah, Acting Undersecretary for Civil Aviation Affairs at MTT, said: "The purpose of this meeting was to highlight a number of issues relevant to the development of the aviation sector in the Middle East, including aviation safety. Other important topics discussed covered planning and implementation of air navigation systems in the Middle East within the framework of the International Air Navigation Plan and the Middle East Air Navigation Strategy and Aviation System Block Upgrade. Other items on the agenda included the review and approval of the reports from the MIDANRPIRG subsidiary bodies in the fields of Air Traffic Management, Search and Rescue, Aeronautical Information Management, Communication Navigation Surveillance and Meteorology. In addition to Safety Reports presented by Middle East Regional monitoring agency which chaired and hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain. Addressing the meeting, Regional Director ICAO Middle East Mr. Mohammed Khonji expressed his thanks and appreciation to the minister for holding the meeting under his patronage and for the active role Bahrain plays in the field of aviation and air navigation, and the efforts undertaken by MTT’s Civil Aviation Affairs’ Air Navigation Directorate in ensuring the safe flow of air traffic and flight safety. Khonji also praised the Kingdom’s continued work in hosting and chairing MIDANPIRG/15. It should be noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain plays a leading role in regional air navigation and air traffic control, a service it has been providing for the last 60 years. The Air Traffic Control Centre is one of the key centers in the Middle East, providing high-standard air traffic control services by highly qualified national air controllers, who have gained knowledge and experience through the ongoing training program of MTT’s Civil Aviation Affairs.