South Sudan suspends operation of Antonov planes

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority has suspended all Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes from operating in the country and has ordered their owners to fly them out of the country within a week, a senior official said Wednesday.

The official cited an investigation into a crash earlier this month of an Antonov plane which occurred shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport in the capital, killing all five crew members.

“As part of the report and recommendation tabled to the office of the chief executive officer by the safety oversight committee, the committee recommended suspension and revocation of AOP of South Sudan of AN-26, AN-24, AN-28, AN-30, Hawkers HS-748 and Let-410UVP,” Capt. Subek Dada David, the chief executive officer of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, said in a letter seen by Anadolu Agency.

“The identified aircraft are ordered to leave South Sudan to their State of Registry within one week as from the date of submission of this report,” the letter added.

It also warned the South Sudan Air Force to change two AN-26 planes it owns flying with a foreign civil registration to a military registration or else face a ban by the aviation authority.

UN-operated Antonovs are exempted.

On Nov. 2, an Antonov aircraft crashed on Gondokoro Island shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport, killing all five crew members.

A manifest seen by Anadolu Agency shows that the aircraft AN26- flight TR-NGT– belonging to Euro Airlines – was carrying 28 drums of fuel to Maban County, Upper Nile State.

In November 2015, a similar plane crash left 37 people dead.

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Michael Makuei Lueth revealed last week that a seven-member ad hoc committee had been set up to investigate the latest crash.

“The minister of transport has already formed a committee to investigate the issue and he has been authorized to follow up the implementation,” Makuei told journalists in Juba after a weekly Cabinet meeting.

Makuei also said that the Cabinet had directed the Minister of Transport Madut Biar to screen all airline operators in efforts to mitigate the recurrence of plane accidents in the country.

“At the same time, he should make sure that all the planes that are operational in South Sudan are properly checked,” said Makuei.

“Some of these planes are actually not allowed to fly all over the world except in South Sudan, and this is very dangerous,” he added.