I'm an SLF who flies extensively in Africa, mostly to capital cities etc - no bush flying. I searched out PPRUNE to inform myself better after undergoing a flight in Cameroon that I wished I had never boarded. I have lost a friend in a failure of African aviation.
My main concern is how do I reduce the risks to an acceptable level?
In the same vein as the Ancient Geek, I presume that IOSA certified airlines are reasonably safe. On that basis, I recommended Afriqiyah Airways to a friend. Luckily, she didn't listen to me. What does an IOSA certificate really say about an airline's safety?
I also note that some African airlines that may be OK are too small to afford IOSA. I'm thinking primarily about Air Botswana here. Could this be the case?
I also do a PPRUNE search on African airlines that I don't know. However, the PPRUNE consensus view has been wrong on Bellview, SLOK and Afriqiyah at least. So, if PPRUNE can get Africa wrong, where else to look for information?
To end my post, I want to be positive. National air markets are mostly pretty small in Africa. To operate an African airline at any sort of efficient scale and hence in affordable safety, there needs to be some sort of cross-border ownership / partnership. Kenya Airways and its affiliates seem to be a good business model here.
Last edited by answer=42; 7th Jun 2011 at 22:23.