Worst aircraft handling in Africa?

[lpokijuhyt]

We have all heard some horror stories with flying into certain airports in Africa, i.e fueling, landing permits, etc. Just curious as to what airports/handling services still operate in the stone age and make life difficult for the crew?

[SalesConsult]

What really do you need to know? There are over 50 countries, each with several airports. Stone age???? I don't know how stone age humans managed their camel strips!!!

[Nightfire]

There is already the thread "You know you're in Africa when..." which deals with humorous anecdotes. You can read and post funny stories there. :ok:

What we do not want to have, is a thread discriminating against Africans. To say "African airports are like this or like that..." doesn't spread any information, but instead it'd just be a source of prejudice and racism.
Africa has good as well as bad airports - just like America, Asia, Australia and Europe do.
I'm sure you share that opinion.

[Soap Box Cowboy]

From what I gather East Africa is not too bad, never had any troubles in Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Mozambique or Malawi. Off course your paper work must be in order. Was suprised one time when in Rwanda when the wrong aircraft was sent because the origional two were grounded and local authorities were not happy about this, thought they were looking for a little Backshish, but turns out they were sticking to their guns, was ready to ditch the plane and get on the next flight out to avoid possible local jail time for apparent illegal entery, but everything was sorted in an hour or so. From what I hear of West Africa you'd be totally screwed.

[jetpet]

well said nightfire....:D...i hope the thread sticks to information

[lpokijuhyt]

Nightfire: How is bad service equal to being racist? Like you said there is bad service all over the world. Please do not hijack a forum and turn it into a political argument. Racism was the furthest thing from my mind when I asked a straight-forward question. Would you rather I would have said which countries seem to be organizationally and service challenged? Does that make you feel better? Please come down off your high horse.

[Nightfire]

Yeah, although I don't know too many African (Kenyan) airports, I have flown a lot in and out of Nairobi/Wilson. That airport is actually very well organized. ATC is doing their job fine, and I never had any issues with corrupt officers either. Paperwork is accepted, customs never caused any trouble, and the plane is handled the way it should be.
Wilson is not exactly up to modern standards; it's over-crowded, and the terminal, as well as the tower buildings, are relicts of the nineteen-fifties, but that actually makes it even quite impressive - the way they manage to run the place within those given parameters.

[lpokijuhyt]

Nightfire: Guess you are right. I should have started a forum called, "You know you will get called a racist when you post anything in the Africa forum.":}

[Nightfire]

Don't be stupid. Nobody called you a racist.
What I meant to say was, in fact, the opposite, that I assume you did NOT want to start a thread about how bad African aviation is.
However, that is exactly what this thread will turn into.

Let me ask you: starting a competition to find the worst airport ever, "naturally" in Africa - that is prejudice and racism. Or is it not?

It's fine to discuss about certain issues we all experience sometimes at certain airports, or to rant about one especially bad (or good) one. Be it in Africa or somewhere else. If you want to tell us about your experience - go ahead, we'd all like to hear about it.

[Agaricus bisporus]

the worst airport ever, "naturally" in Africa

is likely to be fact, sady, and has nothing whatsoever to do with racism. It is realism though...

It is a statement of fact and has no bearing whatsoever on anyone's race.

ps. Africans are not a "Race", they are many hundred of races who inhabit a Continent. Perhaps the people you are so quick to see malice in are merely Continentalist...

There! Another idiotic ism to add to the pavlovian brickbats of the loony fringe.

[flyhardmo]

Ok I'll kick it off. It's been quite a few years since I flew into Luanda and it was an absolute nightmare. We were ferrying a King Air between Lanceria and Gabon with a tech stop in Luanda. Finally go off 4 hrs later. Had to fill in the flt plan 4 times and bring it to the army general for clearance who kept rejecting it for no reason. Fuel took forver until I dangled a carrot in the form of USD's. Not sure how it is these days but surely it can't be worse.
Malabo and Bata were alway's $hit fights as well. One day a bloke puts chocks under the tires without asking and all of a sudden we owe 100USD in handling fee's. Don't pay and they park a bus in front of your aircraft until you do. Again this was quite a few yrs ago. Kenya /Tanzania are easy compared to west Africa.

Nightfire you love to bring race into the issue.
Let me ask you: starting a competition to find the worst airport ever, "naturally" in Africa - that is prejudice and racism. Or is it not?

Hell no. This is the africa forum. This isn't a competition and could actually be informative so get over it sunsine.

[Papa Sierra]

No politics, no racial bias, findings based only on personal experience the worst handling I've had in the world, never mind Africa - Douala!!

[CR2]

B747-200F. Offload 6 pallets, onload a dozen. 6 hours - TNR. :yuk:

[Papa Sierra]

CR2,

Funnily enough I have rather good memorys of TNR but I will expand on that!! Did a series of flights each one carrying a 100T Generator from RUN, I did the recce for the flights and persuaded the airport authorities to allow us to park where I wanted the aircraft to park (right opposite the fire section) 90 degs to normal parking, we needed the room in front of the frame and as flat a surface as possible. Because of the nature of the load (completely beyond the airport capabilities) we had outside contractors who did all the offloads, and very professional they were too! The people at the airport could not have been nicer, but you are right I shudder to think what would have happened had they been asked to actually do anything!! In fact I know it would have been an absolute non-starter. I seem to remember that they also charged us a fairly substantial amount of money not to do anything. You know how it works, monopolies and so forth!

[3 Holer]

"Offload 6 pallets, onload a dozen. 6 hours - TNR."

Not enough funds in the brown bag CR2 ? ;)

[DA-10mm]

flyhardmo (http://flyhardmo)

nothing's changed at all, still the same as you've mentioned:
nothing gets done unless the USD100 bill makes an appearance...

of course you can't be critical of anything even remotely associated with Africa without being branded as a racist.

[Atlanta-Driver]

Hong Kong (HKG) Offload all decks of a 742SF (Without powerfloors in belly) load again to full capacity. Refuel 100 tons. Turnaround 1h 55min.

Lagos, Nigeria. No parking spot. Hold at a remote area for 3 hours. Offload 2 pallets 2 hours. Highloader breaks, no replacement delay 24h.

Milan Malpensa, Italy. Offload 2 pallets and refuel. 4h 30min. European efficiency at its best.

Nairobi. Offload 6 pallest and load 6 add fuel to Benghazi, 2h 30 min. Not bad and certainly better than Malpensa.

Can't really pin it all to the Africans, unless Africa starts just north of Brussels? Sometimes I wonder.

[JTrain]

How about: Anywhere in DR Congo, anywhere in Nigeria.

[Hunter58]

Atlanta

geographically the continent starts in the middle of the Alps and the Pyrenees...

[yambat]

Hunter58

With you on that one, some of the worst handling we had was Barcelona, even accounting for being an adhoc freighter, however on of the best night stops!
"Mainland Africa", Centre of Exellaaaaance! Lagos.

[DownIn3Green]

Without a doubt, Chad...On the other hand...Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, (not DR Congo), and even, (here it is...wait for it...) Luanda have never been a prob for me...but then I have always had the aforementioned "Brown Bag Full"....