Based in Nairobi, the CACAS served as a caretaker for Somalia's airspace since the collapse of the central government in the early 1990s following the outbreak of the civil war.
Additionally, CACAS was mandated with forming and operating a nucleus civil aviation administration to oversee its functions, establishing protocols and regulations vis-a-vis the maintenance and operation of civil aviation activities, and devising and implementing a training program geared toward national-level staff.