Kuvee Kangueehi
25 September 2008
Windhoek — The Ministry of Works and Transport has invited experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to come and thoroughly assess aircraft operations.
Namibia's civil aviation safety records are so poor that the country could be blacklisted unless the Government demonstrates some political commitment.
Delivering a ministerial statement in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the Minister of Works and Transport, Helmut Angula, said according to the International Civil Aviation ICAO audit result review board, Namibia is currently ranked with 22 other countries, which are well known for their poor safety records in the world.
He noted that the ministry has invited and contracted experts from the ICAO to come and thoroughly assess aircraft operations of all certificated air operators, licence personnel and shortcomings within Namibia's physical infrastructure.
The decision from the ministry comes after the country has witnessed a series of serious plane crashes especially aircraft taking off from Eros Airport.
To date, the ministry has recorded seven serious aircraft accidents in less than a year.
The situation has led to Namibia being categorised as a Part III country, based on the recommendation from the ICAO audit review board.
He added that the experts will assess the quality of pilot training schools, competency of instructors, aircraft maintenance organisation, licensed aircraft maintenance engineers as well as designated and medical examiners.
The minister warned that the experts would also assess licensed holders' compliance to their original licensing conditions, privileges, limitations and if found not compliant, such licences would be suspended.
Angula believes that the independent assessment by the experts would boost in-house capacity to objectively assess the compliance of all licensed personnel and certify all operators with their original licensing conditions.
The Ministry of Works and Transport has also approached the Public Service Commission to approve the appointment of key aviation staff and plans are underway to establish the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority.
The minister said a number of aircraft disasters Namibia has witnessed, are caused by human error and people not adhering to safety standards in most cases.
"The unfortunate safety culture has overwhelming consequences of not only the loss of precious human life but also destroy public and private properties."
Angula appealed to tourists, business people and the international community to remain calm while the ministry is sorting out the deficiency.
"We remain committed to solemnly solve the problems before the start of the African Nations Cup in Angola and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa."
The activities are planned to start by next month should all the negotiations with ICAO go well.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Era. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
