Gunship
17th Nov 2002, 20:53
News 24 (http://www.news24.com/News24/Zimbabwe/0,1113,2-259_1286185,00.html)
Johannesburg - The aviation authority in Zimbabwe says it is concerned about the safety of Air Zimbabwe as no maintenance has been done on the airline's planes since September.
The airline plans to outsource the maintenance and servicing of its planes to South African Airways (SAA) in an attempt to meet the requirements of aviation authorities.
The Independent in Zimbabwe reported that the airline's ground personnel have been on strike since September, demanding better salaries. The airline dismissed all the striking workers.
Since then, any technicians they could find have been working on the planes. This is illegal under international aviation regulations, because the work was not supervised.
These regulations stipulate that it is standard practice to supervise repair and maintenance work to guarantee the quality of the work and safety of passengers.
When these regulations are not met, passengers may not be transported on the planes. Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, also uses the airline company for his official travel.
Concerns A letter sent by the Zimbabwean civil aviation authority to Air Zimbabwe, apparently indicated that there were concerns about a number of incidents.
A plane was refuelled without members of the fire brigade in attendance and while there were passengers on board.
Temporary ground personnel, appointed in the place of the striking staffers, were apparently given temporary qualifications although they are not skilled to do the work.
The aviation authority was "disturbed" by the airline's "total disregard for safety measures and the danger this posed for its passengers".
A spokesperson for Air Zimbabwe was "too busy" to comment.
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/jesterlol.gif
Johannesburg - The aviation authority in Zimbabwe says it is concerned about the safety of Air Zimbabwe as no maintenance has been done on the airline's planes since September.
The airline plans to outsource the maintenance and servicing of its planes to South African Airways (SAA) in an attempt to meet the requirements of aviation authorities.
The Independent in Zimbabwe reported that the airline's ground personnel have been on strike since September, demanding better salaries. The airline dismissed all the striking workers.
Since then, any technicians they could find have been working on the planes. This is illegal under international aviation regulations, because the work was not supervised.
These regulations stipulate that it is standard practice to supervise repair and maintenance work to guarantee the quality of the work and safety of passengers.
When these regulations are not met, passengers may not be transported on the planes. Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, also uses the airline company for his official travel.
Concerns A letter sent by the Zimbabwean civil aviation authority to Air Zimbabwe, apparently indicated that there were concerns about a number of incidents.
A plane was refuelled without members of the fire brigade in attendance and while there were passengers on board.
Temporary ground personnel, appointed in the place of the striking staffers, were apparently given temporary qualifications although they are not skilled to do the work.
The aviation authority was "disturbed" by the airline's "total disregard for safety measures and the danger this posed for its passengers".
A spokesperson for Air Zimbabwe was "too busy" to comment.
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/jesterlol.gif