Antonov aircrafts, going nowhere despite ban

By Winnie Cirino

No Antonov aircrafts, no services to rural South Sudan, according to the South Sudan Airline Operators Association.

Earlier this in November, The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority grounded several Antonov aircrafts and ordered aviation companies to remove the planes from South Sudan within five days. A decision the government is yet to implement.

The decision was made following the recent crash of an Antonov AN ̶ 26 that killed all five people on board at Kondokoro Island in the outskirts of Juba.

According to the aviation authority, the Antonov aircrafts that have been crashing in the country have poor maintenance records of the plane.

The Safety Oversight Committee of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority recommended the immediate revocation of Air Operation Permits for AN ̶ 24, AN ̶ 26, AN ̶ 28 and AN ̶ 30 Hawkers, HS 748, and Let ̶  410 UVP. With the exception of only Antonov aircrafts under the United Nations

But the aircraft owners say the decision is unfair given the dire conditions of the country’s airports and runways, which modern aircrafts can not manage to operate in.

But Kat Monyjok, chief executive officer and managing director of Optimum Aviation says it’s like denying service delivery to most parts of South Sudan.

“80 percent or 85 percent of our population outside Juba are not accessible by road. These areas can only be accessed by air transport and that makes it a fact that we cannot do away with air transportation or Antonovs as means of transportation.” Monyjok says noting Antonov aircrafts are specifically used for cargo, not passengers.  

“banning all Antonov aircrafts will jeopardize the economy and affect the lives of people in nine states that rely on air transportation for cargo.”  

Coupled with that, most airstrips in South Sudan have ramshackle runways and don’t have enough space to accommodate modern aircrafts.

 “Antonovs are the most durable (aircrafts) designed for this environment in South Sudan. They go anywhere (and) can land on a short runway.”

Most Antonov acrafts fly to remote areas like Walgag, Matot, Aizo, Maridi, Kuajok, Renk, Ida, Akobo.

“No modern aircraft can go to those places so if we say we are stopping the Antonovs, all these places outside Juba are going to be affected.” Monyjok told The Insider.

The South Sudan Airline Operators Association believes the solution lay in setting up an aircraft service center in South Sudan to regulate the maintenance of these aircrafts rather than banning them completely.

However, Subek David Jada, CEO of South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority believes that’s just a ploy by the the South Sudan Airline Operators Association to buy more time to keep operating and risking people’s lives, something he says they will not allow because the country has lost several lives in Antonov related crashes in recent years.  

“They want a hangar to be done so that their aircrafts are not sent out for maintenance and service. How long will it take to build and equip it (the hanger) to the standard that is required so that their aircrafts are taken there for service or maintenance?”

“It means that during this time, they want to continue with operations, endangering the safety of our citizens. We cannot tolerate that. We cannot wait. It is better if they go and maintain and service these aircrafts somewhere.” Jada told The Insider in an exclusive interview.