Dubai, UAE: The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) has become the first aviation regulator globally to embrace electronic technology to review and approve aviation documents and manuals submitted by stakeholders in the country. The new time-saving method will replace traditional ways of approval which included submission of hard copy manuals. As the regulator of one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, the GCAA is committed to ensuring that this growth is managed safely in timely manner using the latest tools that virtual technology got to offer.
This initiative was launched after close deliberations with stakeholders and was finally launched by H.E. Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA and Mr. Ismaeil Al Balooshi, Executive Director of Aviation Safety Affairs Sector at GCAA. Representatives from Emirates Airlines were present during the launch.
The initiative for adopting the electronic approval system was the outcome of tight collaboration between GCAA and GAEL. The civil aviation authority and the software company have a history of delivering ground-breaking initiatives having implemented projects which allowed the regulator to move from a laborious paper-based process to an electronically managed system that offered greater efficiency and dramatically improved traceability and analysis functionality.
Executive Director for Aviation Safety Affairs, Mr. Ismaeil Al Balooshi, said: "We were the first regulator in the world to implement such a robust electronic approval system platform and the project promises to enhance our services to stakeholders, and improve knowledge sharing and, ultimately, lead to safer skies above the UAE."
Khalid Ahmad Mousa, Planning and Standards Specialist at the GCAA said of the technology: "by using the electronic approval system, GCAA staff is spending more time assuring safety and less time dealing with traditional, time consuming methods. This allows immediate access of the aviation manuals meaning less workload and more productivity."
By becoming the first regulator in the world to use electronic technology for reviews and approvals of documents and manuals, the GCAA have taken another step forward to becoming a paperless regulator.
Paul Marshall, Head of Gael Middle East, said: "As a regulator, the GCAA have a fantastic track record in being at the forefront when it comes to implementing new systems which are designed to benefit, not just themselves, but their regulated organisations. By rolling out the Q-Pulse Document module for their documents and manuals, added to the benefits they are already seeing from the Audit module and Audit for iPad app, it will not only save the GCAA time to focus on what's important but will also provide their regulated organisations with much more transparency while vastly reducing the time spent on approving and updating documentation.
"It is a pleasure and refreshing to work with an organisation that are not only willing to embrace change to improve, but who actively look within their own organisation to see how they can do things better for the organisations they regulate."
© Press Release 2012
