Air Uganda has officially suspended operations indefinitely after the airline cited it would not have sufficient resources to re-commence operations after being grounded by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), in July 2014. In mid-2014, the UCAA was audited by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as a part of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), which identified a number of deficiencies in the regulators ability to adequately oversee and regulate the aviation industry within Uganda. In response to the audit findings, the UCAA decided to suspend the Air Operator Certificates (AOC’s) of all Ugandan-based international operators until a re-certification process could be completed. As a consequence, Air Uganda was required to suspend operations until this process could be completed. The airline noted that the financial losses sustained as a result of this process were too substantial for the airline to recommence operations. Additionally, the airline was also contractually required to return their aircraft to their respective lessors due to the continued grounding of the aircraft.

Tajikistan’s civil aviation regulator, the Tajikistan General Authority of Civil Aviation, officially suspended the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) of Tajikistani-based operator, East Air. The regulator stated that the AOC had been suspended due to certification issues. As a consequence, East Air was required to suspend all operations until the airline’s AOC can be renewed.

Filipino-based regional airport, Tacloban Airport, has temporarily been closed due to the increasingly deteriorating state of the airport’s primary runway. A series of potholes had gradually been developing on the runway surface, which consequently prompted the Filipino civil aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), to close the airport while the necessary repairs could be carried out. All airlines operating under the jurisdiction and oversight of the CAAP continue to be listed on the EU ban list of carriers (with the exception of Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific), as the European Union continues to question the CAAP’s ability to adhere to internationally recognised standards in safety oversight.