In the last two years there have been no jet losses for African carriers, which indicates that the region has maintained good safety during the period and looks to improve in future.
Experts are crediting increased compliance with global aviation standards, better regulation and younger fleets for the improvement because African jet aircraft losses first fell from an average of 2.21 hull losses between 2012 and 2015, to zero in 2016.
The experts said despite the loss of 14 lives, Africa looks set to maintain a positive air safety record for a third successive year, with no fatal commercial airline jet accidents reported during the first half of 2018.
They are also crediting increased compliance with global aviation standards, better regulation and younger fleets for the improvement.
From less than three per cent of global passenger air traffic but more than two-thirds of fatalities just over two decades ago, Africa entered new territory when it reported zero deaths attributable to a commercial jet aircraft accident in 2016.
The region maintained the record with no fatalities in 2017 as well.
African jet aircraft losses first fell from an average of 2.21 hull losses between 2012 and 2015, to zero in 2016.
That compared with 0.18 for the Asia Pacific, 013 for Europe, 0.92 for the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Sovet Union republics) and 0.41 for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2017.
While 556 people died in 15 fatal commercial airline accidents during 2018, data for the first half of the year shows that there was no fatal jet accident in the region. The only fatal accidents involved small propeller driven aircraft in which 14 people died.
One such accident was the FlySax Cessna 208 Grand Caravan that crashed into a ridge in Kenya’s Aberdare mountains killing eight passengers and two crew on June 5 and a June 24 Let410 cargo charter operated by Eagle Air Guinea in which four people died.
Although the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is yet to release its final airline safety assessment for 2018, Africa is not expected to make alarming headlines.
“A number of factors account for the significant improvements in safety achieved by Africa in recent times,” said IATA’s African envoy for aero-political affairs, Raphael Kuuchi.
Mr Kuuchi explains that following the Abuja Declaration in 2012, there have been efforts among key players and stakeholders in the industry to improve aviation safety.
THISDAY
