NAIROBI TO HOST AFRICAN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE CONFERENCE
The African Aviations annual aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul conference, now in its 21st edition, is taking place for the first time in Nairobi / Kenya and will start today.
Nairobi has established itself in the recent past as a major centre for aircraft maintenance, led by Kenya Airways own MRO where it carries out even heavy maintenance of their fleet, while a number of other MROs have also been taking roots, not just at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport but notably also for light aircraft at Nairobis Wilson Airport. Representatives of airlines from Africa will meet with experts from aircraft, engine and component manufacturers to discuss aircraft maintenance and repairs according to the conference chairman, aviation journalist Nick Fadugba.
While Africas lead airlines like Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, South African Airways and Egypt Air all have their own maintenance facilities ensuring compliance with Airworthiness Directives by manufacturers, the continent of Africa is also a continent of stark contrasts, with these airlines having attained global recognition and been certified by IATA with IOSA certification, while plenty of others are banned from entering European airspace over safety concerns while the continent continues as a whole to have the worst global aviation accident history of recent times. And again, while the lead airlines of Africa are all present in Nairobi, those who need to be there the most to improve their dismal records, are conspicuously absent. Watch this space.
