African air safety under scrutiny

Last month, a brand-new Boeing 737-800, operated by Kenya airways crashed into a swamp just moments after take-off. This occurred in Douala and killed all 114 passengers that were aboard.

This is just the latest example of the relative risk you take when flying in Africa. When international air accident reports are given, Africa’s crash rate is as much as 7 times higher than anywhere else in the world.

The fact that this latest crash was a new Boeing 737 illustrates that these statistics are not just due to outdated and poorly maintained aircraft.

Africa does not yet have in place an aviation safety agency as exists in The US or Europe, but the continual safety problems and continuing crashes have forced authorities to act.

Chief of operations for the African Civil Aviation Authority, or AFRO-CAA, Harry Eggerschwiller says, “Until now air safety was left to individual countries, but from now on the African continent will speak with one voice.”

In colonial days, French and British powers did create a type of aviation authority, but African governments were not attentive enough and when the Europeans were made to retreat there was no continuation of the organization.

“In Africa it’s not considered particularly unusual to reach a scheduled destination at night and find the airport closed, the runway lights off and air-traffic control nonfunctional. We would usually just circle awhile and then head off to an alternate airport,” said David Ryerson, a South African pilot.

Hopefully, with these new steps to aviation safety Africa will cease to be such a risky place to fly.