African airlines put in the dock over safety record

JOHANNESBURG – An African Union (AU) body last week urged airlines on the continent to register for a mandatory safety audit, and a call to ban older planes from being used was reiterated.

The appeal by the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the AU’s aviation regulatory body, came as the Aviation Safety Network, a global monitoring organisation, revealed that while the continent accounted for just three per cent of global air traffic, it was responsible for 37 per cent of fatal air accidents in 2005. All airlines are required to register with the Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) of the International Air Transport association (IATA) by the end of this year.Only four African airlines – South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Egyptair and Royal Air Maroc – had completed the IOSA audit, taken the corrective action outlined in the report, and were now listed in the IOSA Registry of approved operators, said an IATA spokesman.Christian Folly-Kossi, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the continent’s equivalent of IATA, said on Wednesday that older generation aircraft, many of which have been flying for more than 20 years, “are responsible for giving Africa a bad image” and that the association had asked AFCAC to ban them from operating.Apart from two fatal crashes in Nigeria that claimed more than 200 lives last year, the 11 other crashes in Africa involved old generation western-made planes, he told Irin News.There were also Russian makes, such as the Ilyushin, operated by “adventurers in war-torn countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo”.Folly-Kossi noted that AFRAA was taking a delegation to Nigeria to ask the authorities to enforce safety regulations.”The problem in Nigeria is that it has about 25 to 30 domestic airlines, each with only three to five planes in its fleet, most of which are used aircraft.We are going to recommend that the airlines consolidate their operations.”This would leave carriers with more resources for maintenance and implementing safety measures.AFRAA is going to make it mandatory for all members to register for the IOSA audit, covering eight airline operational areas.Tshepo Pege, president of AFCAC, said the AU body has appealed to all African airlines to identify their shortcomings and ask for help.”We are prepared to assist them with training or find them partners to fund their requirements, but they must register for the audit, which has to be completed by next year.”An IATA spokesman said many African carriers would find it difficult to meet IOSA standards and IATA had launched a safety partnership programme with a US $3 million investment to assist them.The programme will identify gaps between IOSA standards and current practice in African airlines, and work with carriers to lay down concrete plans, including training and consultancy, to bring about compliance.By the end of 2006, approximately 25 African airlines will have undergone the gap analysis.- Irin NewsAll airlines are required to register with the Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) of the International Air Transport association (IATA) by the end of this year.Only four African airlines – South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Egyptair and Royal Air Maroc – had completed the IOSA audit, taken the corrective action outlined in the report, and were now listed in the IOSA Registry of approved operators, said an IATA spokesman.Christian Folly-Kossi, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the continent’s equivalent of IATA, said on Wednesday that older generation aircraft, many of which have been flying for more than 20 years, “are responsible for giving Africa a bad image” and that the association had asked AFCAC to ban them from operating.Apart from two fatal crashes in Nigeria that claimed more than 200 lives last year, the 11 other crashes in Africa involved old generation western-made planes, he told Irin News.There were also Russian makes, such as the Ilyushin, operated by “adventurers in war-torn countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo”.Folly-Kossi noted that AFRAA was taking a delegation to Nigeria to ask the authorities to enforce safety regulations.”The problem in Nigeria is that it has about 25 to 30 domestic airlines, each with only three to five planes in its fleet, most of which are used aircraft.We are going to recommend that the airlines consolidate their operations.”This would leave carriers with more resources for maintenance and implementing safety measures.AFRAA is going to make it mandatory for all members to register for the IOSA audit, covering eight airline operational areas.Tshepo Pege, president of AFCAC, said the AU body has appealed to all African airlines to identify their shortcomings and ask for help.”We are prepared to assist them with training or find them partners to fund their requirements, but they must register for the audit, which has to be completed by next year.”An IATA spokesman said many African carriers would find it difficult to meet IOSA standards and IATA had launched a safety partnership programme with a US $3 million investment to assist them.The programme will identify gaps between IOSA standards and current practice in African airlines, and work with carriers to lay down concrete plans, including training and consultancy, to bring about compliance.By the end of 2006, approximately 25 African airlines will have undergone the gap analysis.- Irin News