Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka has raised serious concerns in Parliament about an aviation training provider that is failing to meet international standards, questioning whether Fiji should continue sending students there.
Mr Gavoka told Parliament that the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) could not validate certificates issued by the school because it was not compliant with the required global standards.
“Training in aviation has to be accredited to standards that are set by CAAF,” he said.
“When they complete their training and are given the qualification from the flying school, CAAF has to license them to be pilots — to be flyers. That is critical.”
Mr Gavoka warned that any certificate issued without CAAF’s validation was “meaningless.”
“What gives validity to a training certificate is CAAF’s validation — that’s what makes it recognised all over the world,” he said.
He revealed that CAAF had made multiple attempts to help the training provider comply but the breaches continued.
“We have tried, CAAF has tried in many ways to engage with this school to enable them to become compliant,” he said. “But we cannot accredit or give validity to a company providing training that does not subscribe to the standards of CAAF.”
In a moment that drew attention across the chamber, the Deputy Prime Minister posed the central question: – “Should we continue to allow this trainer to train our pilots if he does not subscribe to CAAF’s standards?”
Mr Gavoka acknowledged the emotional toll on young trainees caught in the middle but said aviation safety could never be compromised.
“They play on the emotions of government — these are children with dreams to fly,” he said. “But in aviation, it has to be 100%. You cannot say, ‘I forgot to do something here.’”
He confirmed that some aircraft and licenses had been grounded as a result.
“It’s tough,” Mr Gavoka said, “but this is about safety and integrity. We must get it right — every single time.”
