Business Daily (Nairobi)
Wangui Maina
16 April 2008
A long running passenger safety dispute between national flag carrier Kenya Airways and Air Rwanda took a new turn, bringing to an abrupt end a four -year business partnership between the airlines.
State-owned Rwandair Express said it will no longer allow its passengers to fly Kenya Airways between Kigali and Nairobi.
Gerald Zirimwabogabi, the executive chairman of Rwandair, said Kenya Airways had been asking Rwandair passengers to sign an indemnity form relieving the Kenyan carrier of any liability in case of disaster aboard Rwandair aeroplanes.
Kenya Airways is said to be unhappy with a recent decision by Rwandair to lease planes from Kenyan aviation company Jetlink. KQ alleges that Jetlink's aircraft do not meet international safety standards. But Mr Zirimwabogabi maintains that the aircraft is safe and does not agree with KQ's judgment.
Kenya Airways refused to comment on the matter, saying it would be pre-mature to do so as discussions were going on between the management of both airlines.
Kenya Airways is one of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified airline, having just renewed its certification for two years just last year.
IOSA certification is important in the airline industry as it measures all the safety aspects of an airline, including auditing other airlines that one is code-sharing with before giving certification.
The signing of a contract between the Rwandan airline, which is a member of IATA, and a non IOSA certified airline has raised questions of safety. The suspension of code-sharing comes a week after Rwandair terminated a lease contract with a South African carrier, citing poor safety conditions.
Currently, only 20 African carriers are among the 193 airlines on the IOSA registry. IATA hopes to have all its members certified by the end of this year.
Fifteen members on the continent have open findings that have to be worked on before attaining certification. Issues of air safety have increasingly come up, with the continent's accident rate still nearly six times the global average.
On Tuesday, a Congolese airliner crashed in the city of Goma, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 80.
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I have personally travelled with Jetlink and the CRJ is a fabulous and safe airline not to speak of the crew. The proffessional handling by both the cock pit and cabin crew is amazingand reassuring.
As much as KQ is going about this airline being unsafe, why then did they sign a coeshare with Rwandair yet Rwandair themselves have not gone through IOSA? Are they implying Rwandair is unasfe too??
In my view this hypocritical and selective position KQ has taken in unfortunate and considering the numerous incidences, 132 to be precise, reported in the last 3 months depsite having IOSA ...is quiet something to tink about. KQ should stop throwing stones and they live in a glass house!!!