Juba International Airport, July 2025 - Courtesy

The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) has begun enforcing stricter inspections on all aircraft operating within the country, focusing on maintenance records, pilot qualifications, and training histories.

Speaking to Eye Radio’s Dawn Show on Tuesday, Bol Ring Gum, Acting Manager for Air Traffic Management, said that while South Sudan does not register aircraft itself, it is responsible for verifying foreign documentation before allowing operations within its airspace.

“We are not a country that registers aircraft,” Bol Ring said. “Ours is an operating country, meaning that if any aircraft comes to Juba today, what we must do is verify the documents of that aircraft.”

He also raised concerns about the trend of forged or questionable documentation being used by some operators.

“You try to check the maintenance record for that aircraft because there are certain hours after which an aircraft must go for maintenance. But the funny thing is, you realize that there is too much forgery — and it’s happening within South Sudan,” he said.

“For instance, you may see a document from the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority being used to operate in South Sudan. While we cannot object to documents from other countries, we must verify them.”

Bol Ring assured the public that SSCAA is taking enforcement seriously.

“We must make sure that aircraft operating in South Sudan are inspected by our engineers. This includes checking the maintenance records, pilot qualifications, and their training histories.”

In addition to these measures, the SSCAA is upgrading infrastructure at Juba International Airport to enable full night operations. He said tenovations on the runway lighting system are almost complete.

“As we speak now, there is improvement on the runway lights,” Bol Ring said. “Night operations require a functioning lighting system, and I believe by next month, the renovation will be 100 percent complete.”

The aviation authority is also looking beyond Juba, working to develop alternate aerodromes and improve airport perimeter security.

“For instance, if an aircraft is disabled on the runway at Juba, we need alternate aerodromes that can support operations,” he explained.

“We are also ensuring that security is extended — for example, from Gudele to the airport — to make sure passengers and staff can travel safely at night.”