Transferring the General Command of the “Sudanese Army”

Books- Ibrahim Adlan- under the title “Khartoum Airport between cement and air safety forests and the proposal to transport the General Command of the Army”, saying: The weather safety represents the cornerstone of the operation of any international airport, on the basis of which is the engineering and navigation standards in the planning and operation of airports.

It also responds in accurate detail in the Appendix 14 of the Chicago Agreement issued by ICAO. Among the most important of these requirements are the presence of what is known as “Clearway” and ** These standards also define buildings of buildings around the airport according to imaginative conical surfaces known as:

• Inner Conical Surface
• OUTER Conical Surface
These altitudes are calculated from the highest point in the runway and extending abroad, with the aim of protecting the vertical paths of air performance.
However, Khartoum Airport, despite its importance as a sovereign facility and a national artery for air transport, suffers from a chaotic urban expansion around it, which is high structures within the areas of takeoff and landing, including:

Police housing buildings behind public prison (Cooper)
• The new army hospital building
It is located specifically in the northern takeoff space of runway 18, and the readings of sensitive navigational devices, especially the ILS, are hindering the ILS, which exposes flights to severe operational risks.
It is worth noting that the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority had officially objected to these construction from its inception, but its objection was met with complete ignorance, in an explicit violation of the provisions of national laws and international regulations that obligate states to protect the airports atmosphere from any obstacles that affect the safety of aviation.

These abuses have serious threats, including:
• Disableing the areas of takeoff and safe landing.
• Convulation or interruption of microscopic navigational signals.
Increased risk of collision with obstacles in emergency situations.
• Loss of international classification of the airport due to the lack of adherence to ICAO standards.

So it is necessary:-
1. Re -evaluating all the construction existing on the airport campus and its aerial field.
2. Forming an independent technical investigation committee to determine responsibilities and review licensing mechanisms.
3. Activating the provisions of the Civil Aviation Law related to air obstacles without courtesy.
4. Obliging the authorities executing military or security projects to prior coordination with the flight authority.
5. Implementing a gradual plan to remove obstacles or modify their heights in line with the Airport topographic plan.

The safety of aviation is not an area for compliments or political settlements, but rather a professional sovereign duty that does not accept transcendence or complacency.
In the light of the accelerated and uncontrolled urban expansion in the vicinity of the Khartoum Airport – whether from the eastern side (the extension of the Safa neighborhood) or the western (the extension of the buildings) – the urban construction is one of the most reasons that push towards serious thinking in the establishment of an alternative airport with a site where the necessary technical conditions are available, and ensures the sustainability of safe operation for future decades. Keeping the airport in the heart of a crowded urban area without strict controls will remain a permanent threat to weather safety, and the position of Sudan in the regional and international air transport system.

Given that the buildings of the General Command of the Armed Forces due to the recent war, this moment is a historical opportunity to take a brave decision to transfer the headquarters of the General Command out of the dense population gatherings, similar to what many countries did that took into account the requirements of security and balanced urban planning. If this is done – the extensive area of ​​the current driving buildings can be annexed to Khartoum Airport, allowing it to be expanded and absorbed for modern facilities as a new international passenger hall, additional aircraft parking, and perhaps even an auxiliary runway.

An appeal in the name of air safety
Based on the professional and national responsibility, we appeal to the transitional sovereign council that this file is included in the priorities of the strategic planning of the state, and that the Khartoum Airport site and its surroundings are not seen as a reality, but rather an opportunity to re -organize urban organization that guarantees the security and safety of the Sudanese atmosphere, and the airport returns its role as a sovereign symbol, an integrated facility, and a facade of a new Sudanese renaissance that respects man, respects standards International.