The Civil Aviation Authority of Kiribati (CAAK) was established in 2016 after the separation of the Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation Standard and Recommended Practices (ICAO SARPs) which requires a separation between the Operator (Airport) and the Regulator (CAAK). Kiribati is a member of this organisation through the CAAK who signed the Chicago Convention on the 4th of April 1981.
The purpose of establishing the CAAK is for the promotion and regulate all Civil Aviation activities and to develop an infrastructure for safe, efficient, adequate, economical and properly coordinated Civil Air Transport Service in Kiribati.
The 7th day of December has significance, as it coincides with the date of creation of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944 as a result of the Chicago Convention. Incidentally, the United Nations have declared 7th December as the International Civil Aviation day and celebrated as such every year all over the world. CAAK also celebrate this special day every year since 2021..
The general direction and administration of CAAK and its affairs vest in the CAAK Board which exercises all powers, performs all functions and does all acts and things that need to be exercised, performed or done by the Authority. Members of the board were selected by the Honourable Minister of the Information, Communication & Transport. The selection is based on the requirement dictated in the Kiribati Civil Aviation Act 2019.
CAAK would continue to ensure the compliance of ICAO Standard and Recommendated Practices (SARPs) achieved, maintained and exceed the requirements/standards set through continued focus on the change process to enable achievement of the transformation as envisaged. The abovementioned Act was repealed as a whole by the Civil Aviation Act, 200. The Act, provides for the establishment of a stand-alone authority mandated with controlling, promoting, regulating, supporting, developing, enforcing and continuously improving levels of safety and security throughout the civil aviation industry. The CAAK is one of the State Owned Entities under the Ministry of Information, Communication and Transport (MICT).