Air traffic control personnel at Juba International Airport as South Sudan moves to license its first controllers. Photo: Civil Aviation Authority.

The Civil Aviation Authority says it will begin licensing air traffic controllers under the newly established Aviation Personnel Licensing System to strengthen national aviation oversight and comply with international standards.

The announcement comes a month after the Authority inaugurated the country’s first fully operational independent air traffic management system.

The system, operated from a control tower at Juba International Airport, allows the Civil Aviation Authority to independently monitor and manage South Sudan’s airspace for the first time since the country gained independence in 2011.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Authority said the country’s first group of trained air traffic controllers is set to sit licensing examinations on June 18.

The controllers recently completed 12 months of training at the East African School of Aviation and will be licensed to provide air traffic services within South Sudan’s airspace if they pass the exams.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the new licensing system marks a major step toward building a nationally regulated aviation sector and reducing dependence on external certification systems.

It added that aviation personnel licences will be issued progressively in the coming months to strengthen compliance with international aviation standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO.

Johnson Marun Telar, Director of Safety and Security Regulations, and Lemi Peter Abdallah, Director of Air Navigation Services, said the Authority is fully prepared to issue aviation personnel licences under the South Sudan Civil Aviation Regulations 2026.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Ayiei Garang Deng Ayiei, said the agency has spent the past six months working with partners to establish the systems, regulations and procedures required for personnel licensing and certification.

Dr. Ayiei described the development as a major milestone in strengthening South Sudan’s aviation oversight capability and regulatory independence.

The Aviation Personnel Licensing System allows South Sudan to certify its own aviation professionals, including air traffic controllers, under national regulations while meeting international aviation requirements.