Gunship
17th Jan 2006, 04:39
Can only agree with Afkak :E
http://vne-resource.iol.co.za/27/picdb/1/b/70009
Move to rid Africa of 'flying coffins'
January 17, 2006
By Roy Cokayne and Sapa
Pretoria - Publicly naming unsafe destinations, grounding aircraft and funding airlines to buy newer rather than older aeroplanes are just some of the urgent steps to be taken this year to improve aviation safety over Africa.
There was a growing concern internationally about the safety of civil aviation in Africa, Tshepo Peege, the African Union's African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) president, said at a media conference in Pretoria yesterday.
Although Africa accounted for only 3 percent of the world's aircraft departures, the Aviation Safety Network said 37 percent of all fatal airliner accidents in 2005 happened on the continent.
While there had been a decline in fatal air crashes in most parts of the world, there had been an increase in Africa from an average of 5.1 fatal airline crashes in 1993 to 8.4 fatal airline accidents in 2005.
"Although we have been working for a while to improve the situation, the two fatal accidents in Nigeria [in which 223 people died] at the end of last year got us ... to start moving," Peege said.
As part of efforts to address this, the AFCAC and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had started auditing airlines and operators. To date 181 countries had been audited and those with problems had been given time to address them. Phase two of the programme involved visiting these countries to find out what corrective action had been taken, Peege said.
"We cannot allow flying coffins in our skies anymore. We have to preserve life and aviation, not just in Africa. We are tightening the screws on operations that are a safety hazard," he said.
These audits would be reviewed at a meeting of directors-general of civil aviation organised by the ICAO. The meeting, which would be focused on global aviation safety, would be held in Montreal, Canada, in March.
The AFCAC was arranging a meeting next month in Dakar, Senegal, with some of the civil aviation authorities to prepare an African position paper for the ICAO meeting in Montreal.
Peege said a meeting of African ministers of air transport would take place in Gabon in May or June. It would be aimed at empowering these ministers to deal harshly with civil aviation authorities that were not performing.
However, he stressed that the ICAO was responsible for stating which country's airline safety was "not up to it" and indicated his opposition to unilateral action by European airlines or governments in banning African airlines.
At the same time he did not want African airlines to be unsafe. He said he had spoken to the European Civil Aviation Commission and informed it he was not comfortable with the banning of African airlines before consulting the AFCAC.
But Peege emphasised that through the AFCAC and the African Union, it would prevent any government from operating airplanes that did not have the appropriate maintenance status.
The AFCAC wanted to view the maintenance status and licensing given to certain planes on unscheduled flights. After the March meeting, through the ICAO mechanism, the AFCAC would isolate countries that violated safety standards.
"We are going to be identifying countries that are violating safety, countries that are licensing aeroplanes that are not fit to fly, countries that are giving air operator certificates to airlines without a proper audit."
Peege said the chairman of the African Union had informed African presidents that they had to get involved with all aviation safety issues because it "dents the whole image of Africa".
Business Report (http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3068372)
http://vne-resource.iol.co.za/27/picdb/1/b/70009
Move to rid Africa of 'flying coffins'
January 17, 2006
By Roy Cokayne and Sapa
Pretoria - Publicly naming unsafe destinations, grounding aircraft and funding airlines to buy newer rather than older aeroplanes are just some of the urgent steps to be taken this year to improve aviation safety over Africa.
There was a growing concern internationally about the safety of civil aviation in Africa, Tshepo Peege, the African Union's African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) president, said at a media conference in Pretoria yesterday.
Although Africa accounted for only 3 percent of the world's aircraft departures, the Aviation Safety Network said 37 percent of all fatal airliner accidents in 2005 happened on the continent.
While there had been a decline in fatal air crashes in most parts of the world, there had been an increase in Africa from an average of 5.1 fatal airline crashes in 1993 to 8.4 fatal airline accidents in 2005.
"Although we have been working for a while to improve the situation, the two fatal accidents in Nigeria [in which 223 people died] at the end of last year got us ... to start moving," Peege said.
As part of efforts to address this, the AFCAC and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had started auditing airlines and operators. To date 181 countries had been audited and those with problems had been given time to address them. Phase two of the programme involved visiting these countries to find out what corrective action had been taken, Peege said.
"We cannot allow flying coffins in our skies anymore. We have to preserve life and aviation, not just in Africa. We are tightening the screws on operations that are a safety hazard," he said.
These audits would be reviewed at a meeting of directors-general of civil aviation organised by the ICAO. The meeting, which would be focused on global aviation safety, would be held in Montreal, Canada, in March.
The AFCAC was arranging a meeting next month in Dakar, Senegal, with some of the civil aviation authorities to prepare an African position paper for the ICAO meeting in Montreal.
Peege said a meeting of African ministers of air transport would take place in Gabon in May or June. It would be aimed at empowering these ministers to deal harshly with civil aviation authorities that were not performing.
However, he stressed that the ICAO was responsible for stating which country's airline safety was "not up to it" and indicated his opposition to unilateral action by European airlines or governments in banning African airlines.
At the same time he did not want African airlines to be unsafe. He said he had spoken to the European Civil Aviation Commission and informed it he was not comfortable with the banning of African airlines before consulting the AFCAC.
But Peege emphasised that through the AFCAC and the African Union, it would prevent any government from operating airplanes that did not have the appropriate maintenance status.
The AFCAC wanted to view the maintenance status and licensing given to certain planes on unscheduled flights. After the March meeting, through the ICAO mechanism, the AFCAC would isolate countries that violated safety standards.
"We are going to be identifying countries that are violating safety, countries that are licensing aeroplanes that are not fit to fly, countries that are giving air operator certificates to airlines without a proper audit."
Peege said the chairman of the African Union had informed African presidents that they had to get involved with all aviation safety issues because it "dents the whole image of Africa".
Business Report (http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3068372)