Armenia faces systemic civil aviation problems that require radical solutions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at the Cabinet meeting of the Armenia government on Thursday.

“This topic is quite established, and we [i.e. Armenia] must face the reality that we lack the knowledge to properly respond to and position ourselves in modern aviation systems,” Pashinyan admitted.

According to him, to fill this gap, among others, non-standard solutions are needed. In particular, the involvement of highly qualified specialists and the introduction of new management mechanisms. “To fill this knowledge, certain extraordinary actions are necessary, including inviting appropriate specialists, creating appropriate structures, and rearranging the status of the Civil Aviation Committee so that it also has the opportunity to generate services and have its own budget,” the head of Armenian government noted.

The PM noted that these changes will enable to ensure competitive salaries in and attract high-level international specialists to Armenia. “We must have the opportunity to provide competitive salaries in the international market and invite high-level specialists from around the world to work for the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan added.

He noted that currently there are numerous procedural obstacles that do not enable to implement such changes. “We have numerous procedural obstacles that have not allowed doing this during this period. But we have decided in principle that the Civil Aviation Committee [of Armenia] should have a special status, taking into account the rapid developments taking place in the [aviation] sector,” Pashinyan said.

Also, he announced that the Armenian government intends to start cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization to select the best management model for Armenia. “We must start work with the International Civil Aviation Organization so that they can give us advice on what structures and models to choose that will comply with our legislation and international standards,” Nikol Pashinyan explained.

In addition, he stressed the importance of fully implementing international aviation security standards. "By saying ‘aviation security,’ we should understand the security that is defined by modern international standards. Trying to say that we should be guided by our own characteristics will not work," the prime minister said, and presented the growth indicators of Armenia’s aviation sector.