15 years of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency

ZAGREB, 13 March (Hina) – The Croatian Civil Aviation Agency, which is marking its 15th anniversary, has made a great contribution to air traffic safety and to the aviation industry development, and its expertise has made it a reputable international partner, Transport Minister Oleg Butković said on Monday.

Butković said at a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary that the agency has become an integral part of Croatia’s transport sector and since its foundation, it has contributed not only to the safety and protection of air traffic and industry but also to the entire Croatian economy.

“Confirmation of its success and high expertise is constantly coming from many international bodies and various inspections,” said Butković in his address at the ceremony which gathered executives of airports, airlines, aviation authorities, civil protection and others.

He underlined the important role the agency had in establishing high standards for the entire air traffic system to function and its participation in many EU and international projects. Butković believes that the agency will continue to work successfully in cooperation with the government, the ministry and other authorities. 

The agency whose acronym in English is CCAA is also a regulatory body for air transport, which is managed by the Agency’s Council. The council’s president Andrija Vidović stressed the importance of maintaining good cooperation with various authorities, as well as the commitment and quality work of its employees.

The agency now has 90 employees and according to a video screened at the ceremony on Monday, most of them are very satisfied with their work in that institution and call it “family.”

The agency’s director, Ana Kapetanović, underlined that in 15 years, “the agency has increased threefold and three regulations have changed,” which was all a challenge, especially when Croatia joined the EU, which involved two years of preparations.

“In addition to the increased number of personnel, the volume of work has also increased, and it is continuing to grow along with the challenges of new technologies and the application of digitisation in processes. There are also the challenges related to the sustainability of the aviation industry, various drones, flying taxis, biofuels and others, but no development is worthwhile if security is at risk and that is the most important thing for all of us,” said Kapetanović.

She thanked the agency’s employees and partners, including international ones, especially from the region of Montenegro and North Macedonia, with whom cooperation already exists, and those from Serbia with whom cooperation is planned, and whose representatives also attended the ceremony.

She added that the management of security risks is a shared responsibility, and hopes that, as she believes, the necessary changes to the law on air traffic will bring new improvements.