EU's ban on African 'flying coffins' raises safety concerns and questions

One of the biggest problems faced by the airlines of most nations is their inability to buy new aircrafts and hence, their greater dependence on secondhand ones purchased from East European and former Soviet-bloc nations. These planes hardly pass the safety test and, over time, spare parts can be hard to obtain and some of the aging planes' maintenance documentation get lost.

Other airlines, particularly in vast Congo, who dislike shopping overseas, opt for refurbishing rickety old jets or propeller-driven planes, including some old military aircraft which are converted to passenger aircraft with cheap plastic chairs fixed in.

All this amid stories of presidents' wives commandeering entire sections of the now-defunct Air Afrique for shopping junkets in Paris, stranding paying passengers behind.

However, all hope is not lost. If the banned airlines hope to see European skies soon, they must develop and follow the lead set by others, like South African Airways, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines. Many African pilots who have honed their skills on the continent's cracked runways are known as skilled navigators of crisis zones.

Moreover, the EU’s ban is not irrevocable. According to the EU, airlines that have been banned have the right to appeal and express their point of view, which they should submit in writing and which is then added to their file for consideration, and can ask to be heard by the European Commission or attend a hearing in front of the EU's aviation safety committee.

The “black-list” is to be updated every three months, based on deficiencies found during checks at European airports and if airlines pass the inspections, they may be taken off the list.

SA Airlink, a franchise of South African Airways, is going to make one such appeal against the EU’s decision to blacklist its partner airline Swaziland Airlink, arguing that it falls under SA's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which it says is well-respected overseas.

Though, registered in Swaziland (the EU probably had concerns about the effectiveness of that country's safety regulatory body), Swaziland Airlink is managed by SA Airlink (which owns 40 percent stake), and uses only South African-registered aircraft and South African-licensed pilots.

Meanwhile, African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has accused the EU of tarnishing Africa’s image as the ban, besides damaging the African airlines business, paints a negative picture of all scheduled flights from the continent, including those adhering to world-class standards and safety operations.

The blacklisting sends the wrong message to the average European passenger "that all the African airlines are potentially dangerous and it is safer to travel with European airlines,” said AFRAA secretary-general, Christian Kossi, in a written statement. "This amounts to an act of misinformation and unfair competition that should be discredited."