As a result of the joint project with Lufthansa Consulting since February this year, Turkmenistan Airlines (TUA) has confirmed compliance with technical requirements related to air operations of Third Country Operators in the EU (Part-TCO). After the on-site audit by EASA in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan at the end of September, the European Safety Agency reauthorized the airline as Third Country Operator (TCO) on 11 October 2019.
The carrier has been committed to raising its performance and took immediate action following the difficulties in satisfying relevant requirements in context with the EU Safety Authorizations for foreign air operators – EASA TCO at the beginning of this year. The project started with an assessment of the situation and the development of the recovery plan. In the course of the assignment experts of Lufthansa Consulting and a dedicated team from Turkmenistan Airlines specialized in quality, safety, flight operations and maintenance worked together on both the management system changes and the practical implemen-tation. The team from Turkmenistan Airlines, supported by the management, demonstrated high flexibility during the implementation and commitment to change. They went the extra mile to achieve the goals.
During the project, Turkmenistan Airlines regularly presented progress reports on the improvement in safety standards to the EASA TCO team which finally lead to TUA's formal request for the mandatory on-site assessment by EASA.
"Together with our client Turkmenistan Airlines we are delighted and proud of jointly having achieved this great success to reauthorize the airline as Third Country Operator," states Lufthansa Consulting's Managing Director Dr. Andreas Jahnke. "There are certain tasks to be done by the operator to ensure sustainable implementation of the measures and Lufthansa Consulting is looking forward to continuing the fruitful cooperation."
Turkmenistan Airlines is the flag carrier of Turkmenistan with headquarters in the country's capital Ashgabat. The airline operates domestic and international passenger and cargo services mainly from its hub at Ashgabat International Airport. The airline transports more than 5,000 passengers daily within the country and nearly three million passengers annually on the international and domestic routes together. The fleet consists of modern Western aircraft (such as Boeing 737, 757, 777) and a cargo fleet of IL 76.