The South Arican news-site news24.com says that the government of Congo has banned domestic airlines from using Antonov planes to carry passengers, after another one of the Soviet-era aircraft crashed last week.
Seems cargo-flights are thus still allowed. If that is true, it's a countdown to the next drama.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/New ... 50,00.html
Congo grounds all Antonov-planes
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jackycongo
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Drama there will be, for the simple reason that AN are the only link to the outside world for many cities and regions.
To give an idea, DRC is 2.350 million sqkm (80x Belgium / as big as W Europe) with a little less than 800km paved roads (holes included), and hosts anything from 60 to 63 million souls.
For any serious wound, disease, surgery, etc...the AN is the life line (besides the occasional Twotter, Let or Casa).
How would the diamond trader or the engineer go to the mining area ?
How would the lumber company move their staff ?
People will take the risk, greedy operators will take the money, incompetent and underpaid civ av authorities as well.
Welcome to Congo, the land of the brave or the irresponsible.
To give an idea, DRC is 2.350 million sqkm (80x Belgium / as big as W Europe) with a little less than 800km paved roads (holes included), and hosts anything from 60 to 63 million souls.
For any serious wound, disease, surgery, etc...the AN is the life line (besides the occasional Twotter, Let or Casa).
How would the diamond trader or the engineer go to the mining area ?
How would the lumber company move their staff ?
People will take the risk, greedy operators will take the money, incompetent and underpaid civ av authorities as well.
Welcome to Congo, the land of the brave or the irresponsible.
The problem is that with many crashes in Congo, totally innocent citizens are killed when an Antonov crashes onto their house. At the recent crash (3th October), some 30 of them had no chance at all, and dozens are still in hospital. The ban on AN's will save more lives then emergency flights can rescue.
If the only way to force those greedy operators to avoid from flying with their unsafe planes is a (temporary) ban, then so be it.
If the only way to force those greedy operators to avoid from flying with their unsafe planes is a (temporary) ban, then so be it.
What is the effect of a ban by the Congo's officials?
First of all: what is a Congo official?
What is the real power of a Congo ministry?
After how many US dollar notes does a official at a Congo airport turn his head away?
It is clearly all about the money. The companies, the pilots, the officials.
But nobody wants a crash, to start with the pilots e.g.
Instead of a ban, it would make a big difference if the companies involved had to pay immediately a real compenstion for the victims.
And no western tricks like bankruptcy, chapter 11, civil court procedures, experts etcetera.
You are the ( entire) staff of this company: well you are arrested immediately and released as soon as the full compensation has been paid to the victims in persona. Not through a ministry of course...Immediate confiscation of all assets as well.
They operate in a region where the laws are not implemented. It is their modus vivendi. It is the water where these fish swim in.
So treat them in the same lawless brutal way and the result will be immediate.
No, it will not mean that all operators will disappear. But the prices will go up because they will invest in infrasctructure, maintenance, pilots, reserve for accidents ( called an insurance in the civilised world )
The end result will be safer air traffic. I think...maybe.
First of all: what is a Congo official?
What is the real power of a Congo ministry?
After how many US dollar notes does a official at a Congo airport turn his head away?
It is clearly all about the money. The companies, the pilots, the officials.
But nobody wants a crash, to start with the pilots e.g.
Instead of a ban, it would make a big difference if the companies involved had to pay immediately a real compenstion for the victims.
And no western tricks like bankruptcy, chapter 11, civil court procedures, experts etcetera.
You are the ( entire) staff of this company: well you are arrested immediately and released as soon as the full compensation has been paid to the victims in persona. Not through a ministry of course...Immediate confiscation of all assets as well.
They operate in a region where the laws are not implemented. It is their modus vivendi. It is the water where these fish swim in.
So treat them in the same lawless brutal way and the result will be immediate.
No, it will not mean that all operators will disappear. But the prices will go up because they will invest in infrasctructure, maintenance, pilots, reserve for accidents ( called an insurance in the civilised world )
The end result will be safer air traffic. I think...maybe.
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jackycongo
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 09 Oct 2007, 11:21
- Location: Greece
- Contact:
Instead of a ban, it would make a big difference if the companies involved had to pay immediately a real compenstion for the victims.
....starting with the former 1st Vice President and (losing) recent Prez candidate. One of his overloaded birds (another AN) killed hundreds in N'Dolo-Kinshasa. Not a penny was paid.
There is only one insurance Co in DRC...and it has no money to cover even much smaller risks than that, ask the UN.
No, it will not mean that all operators will disappear. But the prices will go up because they will invest in infrasctructure, maintenance, pilots, reserve for accidents ( called an insurance in the civilised world )
The end result will be safer air traffic. I think...maybe.[/quote]
Many operators would disappear (the least "protected" ones with no major local "partner").
The result would be the complete isolation of about one third of the country, their MPs and Senators would scream, local prices of basic items and food would reach the sky, NGOs would pack back,...starvation and diseases for many will ensue. Is it a better move ?
If it had not been in Kinshasa, most would not be aware of a crash.
To put things in perspective, three times more people died today in the village of Karuba (North Kivu).
....starting with the former 1st Vice President and (losing) recent Prez candidate. One of his overloaded birds (another AN) killed hundreds in N'Dolo-Kinshasa. Not a penny was paid.
There is only one insurance Co in DRC...and it has no money to cover even much smaller risks than that, ask the UN.
No, it will not mean that all operators will disappear. But the prices will go up because they will invest in infrasctructure, maintenance, pilots, reserve for accidents ( called an insurance in the civilised world )
The end result will be safer air traffic. I think...maybe.[/quote]
Many operators would disappear (the least "protected" ones with no major local "partner").
The result would be the complete isolation of about one third of the country, their MPs and Senators would scream, local prices of basic items and food would reach the sky, NGOs would pack back,...starvation and diseases for many will ensue. Is it a better move ?
If it had not been in Kinshasa, most would not be aware of a crash.
To put things in perspective, three times more people died today in the village of Karuba (North Kivu).
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TCAS_climb
- Posts: 413
- Joined: 04 Jan 2004, 00:00