It would be easy to write off commercial aviation safety in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) as a lost cause. But actually, aviation could show the country its way into the future now that, at least in the west and the capital Kinshasa, the internal warfare that has torn the nation apart has more or less stopped.
There have been six fatal accidents in DR Congo this year so far. All have involved various Antonov turboprop freighters or Let L-410s - all admirable aircraft when they were young and operated in a part of the world where spares support was good. But not any more, and not in that environment.
Last year African Civil Aviation Commission president Tshepo Pheege referred to this category of aircraft as "flying coffins" and Uganda, after a series of crashes there, banned their use.
As a business or economic proposition, operating aircraft that are likely to crash does not make sense. Every time they crash they prove the decision to use low capital-cost aircraft kept airborne with cheap cannibalised parts is a false economy. Nigeria is beginning to get a grip on its civil aviation safety by imposing proper disciplines on operators, removing their certificates to operate if they do not meet safety standards. Nigeria's economy will benefit as a result. If DR Congo were to do the same, in this huge country where a healthy aviation network is vital, prosperity would also get a boost.
Source: Flight International
