r2flyboi
18th Jun 2012, 13:54
THE DARK SIDE OF AVIATION IN NAMIBIA
WE ARE Namibian pilots who preferred to remain anonymous but we would like to use the Namibian as our platform to point out the dark side of the Namibian aviation authority (DCA – Department of Civil Aviation in the Ministry of Works and Transport) and the monopoly operations of some charter companies and our main concern air Namibia.
We blame Government for failing to stop the monopoly that a few people seem to have in the aviation industry. It’s been 22 years into the country’s independence, but there are hardly any black Namibians who have climbed the ladder to the top in this sector and to top it off we are paying the price at the cost of South African white pilots who are mostly preferred for employment by Namibian charter companies and the Europeans who seem to run the show at Air Namibia.
The initiative undertaken by the DCA to offer bursaries to previously disadvantaged Namibians wishing to pursue a career in the industry has failed to yield the desired results. The initiative clearly seems to be a slap in the face to those who where interested or was basically to blindfold those who thought the DCA was doing little to help the problem.
The bursary programme is there to alleviate the shortage of Namibian pilots. Yet, this is one of the most failed initiatives of the government since independence. We accuse the bursary selection board of failing to deliver on time, and when you question the staff at DCA about the progress, each person has a finger to point at the other.
At Air Namibia the Affirmative Action Policy seems to be short of patriotism as all jobs are ‘hijacked’ by European and South African pilots. Nothing is being done about this issue. At the cost of the Namibian taxpayers, the government is simply pumping in millions of dollars to enrich foreigners, who can even afford to live in luxurious hotels for their stay in this country.
We call on Cabinet to look into the matter closely. It surely looks like they are unaware of what’s happening in the aviation sector.
It is embarrassing that 22 years down the line we have a very small number of Namibians flying the A340, A319 or the Boeing. The government has failed to take the initiative and empower Namibian pilots to be in position to fly such aircraft.
We criticise the government for not monitoring the implementation of its policies aimed at improving Air Namibia and empowering Namibians in the air-transport industry.
The airline is also to blame for not having a clear career path for Namibian pilots. Some of the Namibians who have gone through the first stages of pilot training have remained stagnant because they have no option but to sit back and watch their foreign counterparts fly their national carrier. We also criticise the lack of a Namibian cadet training initiative, as is the case in South African Airways, Kenya etc. Under such a programme, young people with potential are identified and trained to become pilots free of charge whiles assuring them a job in the airliner when they complete their training.
In conclusion we would like the President and his Cabinet to enquire from the Minister of Transport, the Director of Civil Aviation and the newly appointed CEO of Air Namibia to clarify these matters.
Please go ahead and do your research on the matter and try find out what can be done. What we trying here is to make the public aware of what’s really happening in our Namibian skies.
Namibian pilots
Via the website
WE ARE Namibian pilots who preferred to remain anonymous but we would like to use the Namibian as our platform to point out the dark side of the Namibian aviation authority (DCA – Department of Civil Aviation in the Ministry of Works and Transport) and the monopoly operations of some charter companies and our main concern air Namibia.
We blame Government for failing to stop the monopoly that a few people seem to have in the aviation industry. It’s been 22 years into the country’s independence, but there are hardly any black Namibians who have climbed the ladder to the top in this sector and to top it off we are paying the price at the cost of South African white pilots who are mostly preferred for employment by Namibian charter companies and the Europeans who seem to run the show at Air Namibia.
The initiative undertaken by the DCA to offer bursaries to previously disadvantaged Namibians wishing to pursue a career in the industry has failed to yield the desired results. The initiative clearly seems to be a slap in the face to those who where interested or was basically to blindfold those who thought the DCA was doing little to help the problem.
The bursary programme is there to alleviate the shortage of Namibian pilots. Yet, this is one of the most failed initiatives of the government since independence. We accuse the bursary selection board of failing to deliver on time, and when you question the staff at DCA about the progress, each person has a finger to point at the other.
At Air Namibia the Affirmative Action Policy seems to be short of patriotism as all jobs are ‘hijacked’ by European and South African pilots. Nothing is being done about this issue. At the cost of the Namibian taxpayers, the government is simply pumping in millions of dollars to enrich foreigners, who can even afford to live in luxurious hotels for their stay in this country.
We call on Cabinet to look into the matter closely. It surely looks like they are unaware of what’s happening in the aviation sector.
It is embarrassing that 22 years down the line we have a very small number of Namibians flying the A340, A319 or the Boeing. The government has failed to take the initiative and empower Namibian pilots to be in position to fly such aircraft.
We criticise the government for not monitoring the implementation of its policies aimed at improving Air Namibia and empowering Namibians in the air-transport industry.
The airline is also to blame for not having a clear career path for Namibian pilots. Some of the Namibians who have gone through the first stages of pilot training have remained stagnant because they have no option but to sit back and watch their foreign counterparts fly their national carrier. We also criticise the lack of a Namibian cadet training initiative, as is the case in South African Airways, Kenya etc. Under such a programme, young people with potential are identified and trained to become pilots free of charge whiles assuring them a job in the airliner when they complete their training.
In conclusion we would like the President and his Cabinet to enquire from the Minister of Transport, the Director of Civil Aviation and the newly appointed CEO of Air Namibia to clarify these matters.
Please go ahead and do your research on the matter and try find out what can be done. What we trying here is to make the public aware of what’s really happening in our Namibian skies.
Namibian pilots
Via the website