News from zimbabwesituation

[mpswilb]

Passengers panic as Air Zim 'catches fire' at KIA


Nyasa Times


By Emelyn Nyoni 08 May, 2008 07:48:00
http://www.nyasatimes.com/thumbnail.php?file=The_Air_Zimbabwe_Boeing_767_200ER_that_ne arly_caught_fire_545815823.jpg&size=article_medium Air Zimbabwe that caught fire in Malawi

There was panic and anxiety among passengers, workers and onlookers at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe this morning (Thursday) when Air Zimbabwe's rear tyres caught fire.
The plane, a Boeing 767-200ER was coming from Harare, Zimbabwe destined for London, United Kingdom and had 91 passengers and 11 cabin crew members.
Eye witnesses told Nyasa Times, the 203-capacity plane had just left the runway at the airport when birds flew into one of its engines thereby rendering it ineffective.
"After the incident, the pilot immediately made an emergency stop that resulted in its eight rear tyres to burst into fire because of the force.
"Fortunately enough, fire brigades were just within and they managed to put off the fire before it caused disaster," an official from the airport's Immigration Department who hid his identity told Nyasa Times in an interview.
After extinguishing the fire, police and civil aviation officials rushed into the plane to evaluate the frightened and confused passengers into safety.
The speechless passengers were then left stranded at the airport for some hours as Air Zimbabwe authorities rushed up and down looking for an alternative, according to eye witnesses.
Meanwhile, an official from Air Zimbabwe office in Lilongwe, a Thawale, told Nyasa Times this afternoon the passengers have been re-routed in three groups.
"The other group was flown back to Harare to be put in another plane while others have left via Johannesburg and Nairobi, respectively," he explained.
Last month, the same Boeing 767-200ER failed to land at the same airport and was forced to proceed to Harare after the Department of Civil Aviation could not provide fire cover personnel.
The plane was coming from Dubai enroute to Harare and wanted to drop some passengers at the airport around 05.00 am.
Air Zimbabwe authorities were forced to commission another plane from Harare to ferry passengers to Lilongwe some four hours later.
Air Zimbabwe, privatised in 1997 is Zimbabwe's largest passenger carrier, with two Boeing 767-200ERs and three Boeing 737s. It also has to its fleet a sixth aircraft a BAe 146, which has been grounded for sometime now.
The B737s operate five regional routes- Nairobi, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Lusaka, Johannesburg and Mauritius while the two B767s operate mainly long haul to Europe, especially London Gatwick which is its busiest route.
Recently, Air Zimbabwe launched a code-share flight to Dubai from Harare via Lilongwe with Air Malawi.
Air Zimbabwe Acting Chief Executive Captain Oscar Madombwe said during the agreement signing ceremony in Lilongwe there were possibilities of introducing another frequency because of the growing demand but it is yet to be seen with such hiccups on the Malawi route.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Blimey!

Zim journos evidently don't feel the need to write in English.

What utter gobbldegook!

Literacy level of a dim 10 year old.

[V1... Ooops]

I like the part about "The aircraft had just left the runway... then the pilots made an emergency stop".

I'm going to have to learn how to do that trick, sounds like it might be useful some day. :)

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Zim journos evidently don't feel the need to write in English.

Malawian journos this time. However, their Zim counterparts' grasp of the language is no better...:(

[VSB via OL]

Purely as an observation.... the article is from a Malawian paper and not written by a Zim Journo.

Those familiar with this region of Afica will probably recognise that the article has been written more or less as it would have been literally spoken and in a sense, perfectly understandable to the local reader.

I can guarantee that the level of written and spoken English in Zim by much of the urban population far exceeds that of a ten year old! In fact, many indigenous Zimbabweans have a far better use of vocabulary than many English people in England!!

[Chambudzi]

For goodness sake get off your high horse VSB.
The article was a real hoot and Emelyn Bird, the Malawi journo, did come across as a dim 10 year old. How she got a job working for an English speaking paper as a journalist is beyond comprehension.

[Chambudzi]

And as for the editor, he/she must have attneded the same Uni as Emelyn

[VSB via OL]

Chambudzi, come now...if you read my post properly, I was merely defending the majority of Zim journos who had been incorrectly blamed for the article.

I intentionally made no critical mention of the state of the poor Malawian journo's report, although I acknowledge that by saying it was perfectly understandable to the local reader may be misconstrued as an advocation.

Indeed, as I read the article I had a mental image of it being spoken which i confess did raise a chuckle or two........

[Chambudzi]

Okay VSB - you are officialy off the hook.
On another subject it astounds me that the VOR beacon is still VSB, named after Salisbury. Bob and his boys obviously missed changing it while they were busy changing all the other names of places.

[VSB via OL]

Thanks for the reprieve Chambudzi :ok: Fingers crossed that that last little bit of 'history' remains as is!!:oh::oh:

Famba zvakanaka

[Maurice Chavez]

"After extinguishing the fire, police and civil aviation officials rushed into the plane to evaluate the frightened and confused passengers into safety". No more need for Flight Deck/Cabin crew with Air Zim... Theeee pressssss wiiiiiillllllll dooooo tttthhheeeee job!

[Jelly Doughnut]

A while back at LGW, whilst changing freq to ground, I caught the last of Air Zim reading back his departure clearance to Havana, Cuba. Can't remember the exact date but at a guess around 6 weeks ago.

Gatwick-Havana. Interesting new route or is the old man on his way to inspect his retirement home :E