Santo Domingo, DR. – The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) and the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) formalized an inter-institutional coordination agreement to strengthen the provision of aeronautical meteorology services in the country, complying with standards set by the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Through the agreement signed by Héctor Porcella, general director of IDAC and Gloria Ceballos, director of ONAMET, the two state institutions undertake to effectively comply with presidential decree 176-17, of May 23, 2017, to respond to the requirements of the convention, and to the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The parties agree that the management and operation of the meteorological equipment and systems remain in charge of the IDAC, which at the same time grants the ONAMET the power to remain interconnected to the meteorological equipment installed and operated by the aeronautical entity.
The agreement also states that ONAMET will respond to requests for the transfer of personnel made by the IDAC, of the specialized personnel who currently work in that Office, exhausting the procedure established in Law 41-08 of Public Function.
Both Porcella and Ceballos agreed that this is a transcendental step for civil aeronautics and Dominican aeronautical meteorology, by adapting to standards and requirements of international air navigation.
“This agreement between our institutions is of utmost importance, since it allows IDAC to expand its spectrum of services for the benefit of greater operational safety in air navigation, while expanding and strengthening the strategic service offered by ONAMET,” Porcella indicated when justifying the importance of the initiative.
Gloria Ceballos maintained that ONAMET was born, grew and developed hand in hand with IDAC, always working in collaboration as two sister institutions. “We will continue to offer the other meteorological services that the Dominican population receives, only that to continue complying with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), we transfer the Aeronautical Meteorology section to the IDAC.”
Porcella announces two new radars
During the signing of the agreement, the general director of IDAC reported that in the coming months two new Doppler radars will be installed, one in Puerto Plata and another in Santo Domingo, adding to the one already operating in Punta Cana.
For her part, the national director of ONAMET announced that the Punta Cana Doppler radar will be part of the Caribbean Radar Mosaic, whose data will be incorporated into this circuit, for the 2024 cyclone season.
In order to comply with the objective of the Interinstitutional Cooperation Agreement, the IDAC and the ONAMET committed to forming a mixed commission with representatives of both institutions, whose main responsibility will be to coordinate the transfer of the provision of the Aeronautical Meteorology service in the national territory to the IDAC, as well as the transfer of the necessary technical personnel using the mechanisms established by Law no. 41-08 of Public Function and its implementing regulations, among other actions.
On behalf of the IDAC, the general director Héctor Porcella was accompanied by the director of Air Navigation, Claudia Roa; the director of Human Resources, Ana Ysa Tejeda; the director of Public Relations, Luis José Chávez; and the person in charge of the Department of Interinstitutional Relations, Jasmin Fabré. Gloria Ceballos was accompanied by Miguel Campusano, deputy technical director; Jesús Castor Nova, head of the Legal Department; Virtues Mercedes, in charge of Human Resources and Maximiliano Pérez Furcal, in charge of the Aeronautical Meteorology department.