Flight Safety Situation Requires More Concern

Sudanese received the first day of Eid Al-Fitr with the aircraft disaster which claimed the lives of 31 officials including the Minister of Guidance and endowments, NISS General, officers and political leaders.
A wet-lease aircraft (Antinov 32) - Russian made collided with a mountain while landing in Talodi airstrip in South Kordofan State, due to fog.
In the few past years Sudan witnessed several airplane incidents which claimed the lives of several Sudanese figures.
The new list of victims who died in the last incident joined the previous lists of aviation victims.
The aviation incidents in Sudan became a phenomenon which requires more concern as it repeats in a monotonous manner and caused big sorrow among the Sudanese in general.
After each incident we hear about the formation of investigation committee to probe and come out with recommendation to avoid the repetition of the incident in the future; but nothing is revealed up to this moment about the measures taken or procedures adopted in this regard.
It is high time for the concerned authorities to take practical actions in regard to flight safety policies, procedures and standards.
We believe that the issue of flight safety is a fundamental one in a sprawling country like Sudan where traveling by air is the only means to link its parts.
Aviation problems are enormous, some are related to the aircraft itself in terms of airworthiness, certification and shelf life; others are related to the modern technology available in the aircraft, others are linked to communications systems and its effectiveness in linking the aircraft with the airports or airstrips; others are related to crew members and their efficiency.
Accordingly, there should be comprehensive treatment to put the aviation in its right course, hence guarantee the safety of passengers and crew members to avoid disasters.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has its standards in investigating aviation incidents to find out the actual reason behind it, so our civil aviation authority should commit to ICAO standards in the investigation process.
We should admit that the aviation safety and standards in Sudan are below the minimum requirements of ICAO manuals.
We don’t ask for only investigation on the recent incident, but we want a comprehensive review to the aviation situation in the country to cope with the required international standards besides providing all the safety measures.
We propose suspending the flights to the areas where there are only air strips and not small airports till the completion of the investigations.
We also propose involving experts from ICAO, if necessary, to come out with practical solutions.