CONGO DR REVOKES INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT LICENCES FOR ONE AIRLINE AND CANCELS AOC’S FOR SOME OTHERS OVER FAILED AUDITS
(Posted 04th May 2014)
The Congolese (DRC) government has reportedly revoked the permits to fly international routes for Kinshasa based flyCAA last week, prompting the airline to hold urgent talks with ministry of transport and civil aviation authority to establish reasons for the decision and launch an appeals process. The permit was according to a Goma based source cancelled without prior notice or warning.
At the same time were the Air Operator Certificates, in short AOC’s of several other airlines cancelled, effectively grounding carries who according to the source failed to progress through the stages of the IATA Operational Safety Audit, in short IOSA, implementing a recommendation by the International Civil Aviation Organization that member countries should sanction airlines which do not comply with or fail IOSA requirements.
The airlines named were Okapi Airlines and Congo Express while several others were according to the report given a month long deadline to remedy shortcomings found or else face a similar fate.
The Congo DR has one of the worst air accident record and ICAO and IATA have been working hand in hand to improve operational safety through audits and by strengthening the regulatory oversight regime in order to improve the safety of such operations. All of Congo’s airlines are currently banned by the EU from flying into or over European airspace and are listed on the notorious ‘Black List’.
In the latest development over the ban on international flights news are also emerging that flyCAA has entered into a deal with a South African upstart Trans African Airways to circumnavigate the ban slapped on Congo registered aircraft, using aircraft leased from South Africa with South African registration. flyCAA according to the source at present uses a wetleased South African registered B737 to continue flights from Kinshasa via Lumbumbashi to Johannesburg. Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news from across Eastern Africa.
In a rare case of my source getting the information wrong – and apparently my source was not the only one who did as several other blogs and aviation sites reported the same as was done here – it can be confirmed that Korongo’s permit was never cancelled and flights continued uninterrupted. I apologize for sending out wrong information and the response from Korongo is also reflected in a comment they filed here and which was cleared for publication.
3 Responses
Dear Prof Dr Thome,
Please allow me to comment on the above article as it contains incorrect information. The license of Korongo Airlines to operated international routes has never been revoked. As you correctly mention we have a partnership with Brussels Airlines and have a so called ACMI contract with them.
This means that we are IOSA and IATA certified. We have yearly audits by the BCAA (Belgian Civil Aviation Authority), so as such there would be no reason to question our operations or ban us to fly international routes. In other words, the information of your Goma based sources was not correct.
Hope this clarifies some things.
Best regards
Thank you for your clarification, even though the same information apparently was also published on other aviation sites. I am sure your contribution will go some way to reassure your passengers that you continue to fly them safely within and outside Congo.
W.
For cpl blue bird is best option…!!!