P 220626Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5291
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY ROME 
DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC
FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUANDA 000048 
 
 
EMBASSY ROME FOR TSA ANTHONY GIOVANNIELLO 
DEPARTMENT FOR EEB/OTP KRISTIN GUSTAVSON AND BRIAN SILER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2019 
TAGS: AO EAIR ECON ENIV PREL
SUBJECT: ANGOLA'S CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY BUILDS CAPACITY 
TO TAKE ON CHALLENGES 
 
REF: LUANDA 38 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Dan Mozena for Reason 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY: During a January 16 meeting with Ambassador 
Mozena, Director of Angola's civil aviation authority 
(INAVIC) Gaspar Francisco dos Santos acknowledged Angola's 
civil aviation problems, but stated his efforts to resolve 
them were hampered by a lack of trained operations and 
airworthiness inspectors rather than political interference 
from the GRA.  Dos Santos said INAVIC plans to hire foreign 
inspectors by the end of February.  Dos Santos said INAVIC 
plans to bring national carrier TAAG into compliance with 
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards 
before the end of 2009.  In contrast to the point of view of 
the Minister of Transportation (reftel), Dos Santos 
emphatically acknowledged that the EU ban is technical, 
requiring a technical resolution and does not have a quick 
political fix..  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) As a follow-up to his January 13 meeting with Minister 
of Transportation Augusto Tomas (reftel), Ambassador Mozena 
met with Director Gaspar Dos Santos on January 16 to impress 
upon him the need to take the EU ban on all Angolan airlines 
seriously.  The Ambassador stressed that all levels of the 
GRA must understand that both TAAG's and INAVIC's 
non-compliance with ICAO norms is a technical and not a 
political problem.  The Ambassador observed that some in the 
GRA still felt Angola could find a political solution to its 
civil aviation issues, and questioned Dos Santos if the GRA 
really understood the gravity of the situation.  The 
Ambassador hoped that Luanda airport could be brought up to 
TSA standards to allow Delta airlines to begin operations 
into Angola in 2009, but noted that it needed a lot of work 
to get there.  Dos Santos responded emphatically that all 
levels of the GRA understood that TAAG and INAVIC had serious 
shortcomings, and that no one in the GRA had pressured him to 
take political expedients in addressing these problems since 
he had taken the job in November.  He stated that he was 
getting good cooperation from TAAG, despite its lingering 
capacity issues on documentation, and that he was receiving 
an adequate budget to do the job. 
 
¶3. (C) The problem, according to Dos Santos, is that INAVIC 
lacked the skilled aviation inspectors needed to enforce 
Angola's laws and bring TAAG into compliance with 
international standards.  He described as a failure INAVIC's 
attempts to hire locally five operations and five 
airworthiness inspectors needed urgently; only one qualified 
candidate responded.  In light of this, Dos Santos sought and 
received permission from the Council of Ministers to hire 
foreign inspectors, and he expected to have completed that 
hiring by the end of February.  He also cited the Council's 
authorization for INAVIC to partner with a foreign CAA to 
help boost its capacity as further evidence that the GRA was 
taking the problem seriously.  "This is a very big departure 
from the way Angola had handled these issues before, and 
would have never happened in the past," he affirmed.  He 
noted further capacity-strengthening efforts such as the use 
of a Boeing-funded U.S. aviation consultant, and the hiring 
in the last month of a foreign specialist to help certify 
TAAG. 
 
4 (C) According to Dos Santos, once INAVIC had the proper 
human resources, it would work to ensure that all aviation 
operators were in compliance with ICAO norms and Angolan law. 
 Dos Santos was aware that INAVIC and TAAG were in 
non-compliance in many areas, but stated that his goal is to 
raise standards and re-certify the entire industry.  He hoped 
to have TAAG off the EU blacklist by the end of the year, but 
acknowledged that it was difficult to do this from outside 
the airline.  He noted that TAAG still had not submitted 
required documentation even after a year of requests. 
Despite this, he felt that he was getting good cooperation 
from TAAG, and was optimistic about future cooperation, 
declaring, "TAAG has changed its mind completely about its 
problems."  He praised new TAAG CEO Antonio Araujo as "very 
competent," and "the right choice for the job." 
 
¶5. (C) COMMENT: We are encouraged by Dos Santos's candid 
acknowledgment of INAVIC's and TAAG's shortcomings.  He 
clearly understands the challenges faced by both, and his 
central role in solving Angola's civil aviation woes.  He is 
regarded as competent and knowledgeable, and seems to be 
adopting a sensible, practical approach in response to the 
hand he has been dealt.  His approach stands in stark 
contrast to that of his supervisor, Minister of 
Transportation Augusto Tomas (reftel), who appears to believe 
that there is little that needs fixing with either INAVIC or 
TAAG.  The gap is huge between the perceptions of these two 
key players in how best to sort out Angola's civil aviation 
problems.  Embassy will continue to disabuse the GRA of any 
"political fix" to the problem. 
 
 
MOZENA