"Although the continent accounts for only 2% of global traffic, figures show it was responsible for 26% of aircraft crashes last year. In 2009 accidents on the continent increased sharply from 2.12 to 9.94 accidents per 1.4m flights. The worldwide rate was one accident every 1.4m flights. Bad infrastructure, poor maintenance of aircraft and lack of investment in new technologies are regarded as some of the main culprits. But the African skies are also thick with politics. Some 111 carriers from 13 African countries have been blacklisted by the European Union and banned from its airspace."
Tripoli tragedy highlights Africa's unenviable record on air safety
Bad infrastructure and poor maintenance contribute to continent's relatively high number of plane crashes
A teacher, a retired manager, a cabin crew trainer and an award-winning writer. Five seconds was the difference between a safe landing and the crash that killed these and 99 other passengers on Afriqiyah Airways flight 771 at Tripoli airport last week.
Nine-year-old Dutch boy Ruben van Assouw was the sole survivor of the carnage that also left two Britons dead. The plane had been due to stop over on its way from Johannesburg to London.
Afriqiyah Airways, born in 2001, is owned by the Libyan government and promotes itself as a cheap way to get to Africa from Europe. It is popular with backpackers and independent travellers and boasts: "We connect Africa to the world." But last week's accident underlined how far Africa has to go to shake off its reputation as the most dangerous place to fly in the world.
Although the continent accounts for only 2% of global traffic, figures show it was responsible for 26% of aircraft crashes last year. In 2009 accidents on the continent increased sharply from 2.12 to 9.94 accidents per 1.4m flights. The worldwide rate was one accident every 1.4m flights. Bad infrastructure, poor maintenance of aircraft and lack of investment in new technologies are regarded as some of the main culprits. But the African skies are also thick with politics. Some 111 carriers from 13 African countries have been blacklisted by the European Union and banned from its airspace. This does not sit well with the African Airlines Association, which accuses Europe of taking commercial advantage. "We are the first to admit that Africa needs to improve its air safety record," Nick Fadugba, secretary general of the association, said last month. "However, while the EU list may be well-intended, its main achievement has been to undermine international confidence in the African airline industry. The ultimate beneficiaries of the ban are European airlines, which dominate the African skies to the disadvantage of African carriers."
The industry in Africa is not taking the criticism lying down, pointing out that not all its airlines should be tarred with the same brush. Earlier this month the Flight Africa Blog published a list of the 10 safest airlines on the continent, in rank order: South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Botswana, Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles, Kenya Airways, Tunisair, Royal Air Maroc, Nigerian Eagle Airlines and Air Zimbabwe.
The inclusion of Air Zimbabwe shows it has stood up well despite the economic and political meltdown in the country. But nobody's perfect: last year one of its planes veered off the runway after colliding with a warthog.
More hazardous than commercial travel, however, are the lives of mercenaries and smugglers who pilot ageing Soviet-era aircraft until they no longer work. The planes have been described as "flying coffins".
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2010
See also: http://theblogazette.nnoromazuonye.com/2005/12/air-disasters-nigeria-holds-top-spot.html
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