An all-female affair at Entebbe Control Tower on Women’s Day

CAA Air Traffic Controllers, Gloria Namazzi (left) and Abeko Miriam (right) communicate to Pilots in the Control Tower on Women’s day.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Entebbe International Airport’s Control Tower, Approach Radar and Area Control Center are to be manned by an all-female air traffic controller’s team on March 8, 2019 during the morning shift.

The highly trained and vibrant ladies are dedicating their efforts on International Women’s day to showcase the strides made in empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of science, technology and engineering.

Civil Aviation Authority Uganda, has over the years trained and encouraged a number of female staff in the above areas of professionalism, capacity and dedication and have become some of our national and international experts in various fields of air navigation and civil aviation.

This year’s International Women’s day theme, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change” is in tandem with the important role women play in the different fields of air navigation and civil aviation in ensuring safety and efficiency to flights in the air and on ground. The importance of air traffic control in safety of air operations is paramount.

The advice and instructions experts issue to pilots enables them to avoid collision and ensures expeditious and orderly flow of aircraft in the airspace. This supplements pilots’ situational awareness by alerting them of the many dangers in the airspace including bad weather, other aircraft, high terrain and obstructions on the ground.

The female Air navigation experts in various fields that CAA Uganda is celebrating on Women’s Day are unsung behind-the-scene heroes that have over the years done everything in their means to ensure that passengers and cargo are safely and efficiently delivered to their destinations.

One of the main goals of an Air Traffic Controller is to promote Safety, Efficiency and Regularity in International Air Navigation and to assist and advise in the development of the safe and orderly systems of air traffic control.

In execution of duties, Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) face enormous challenges. The role of ATC has simply been described as converting traffic demand into traffic flow to avoid possible delay. Clearance issued by air traffic controllers is for the safety of flight, which should not be compromised.

A controller must think quickly without any possibility of stalling. All instructions are recorded continuously on tape and any instructional error is traceable by replay, a necessary requirement that no other professional has to contend with. The margin for error is zero and this gives the controller responsibility to scrutinize situations constantly and operate with pin point accuracy.

Our female controllers have been very proficient on that and we at CAA are very proud of them.

Historically, the aviation industry has registered fewer women and their entry dates as far back as the World War II, when they entered the ranks as air traffic controllers and aircraft communicators to replace men who joined the war effort.

The team on duty comprises; Abeko Miriam Agwou, Acipa Annabel, Esther Nanyonga, Eva Luyiga, Gloria Namazzi, Leah Nakasaawe, Prossie Zalwango Judith Etwau and Tabitha Nyafono.

You are our heroes and we celebrate you and all the women in the world on this International Women’s day.

Fred K. Bamwesigye

Ag. MANAGING DIRECTOR

CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY