What if an African plane had gone missing?

At the time of going to press, the Malaysian Airline Flight MH730 was still missing and a multinational search and rescue effort was ongoing as the mystery of its disappearance deepened. I can bet the response would have been very different had the incident involved an African airliner.

The stereotypical African pilot would only hijack a plane to fly it straight to a Western capital where he would then surrender himself to the police and plead for asylum, claiming his life was in danger due to his political beliefs.

Foreign press would jump the gun and claim that terrorists with links to Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda hijacked the plane to attack an American installment, 9/11 style on foreign land.

The Western governments would then issue travel advisories to their nationals against anything, but essential travel to areas within 60 kilometres of the country and region where the plane was last spotted.

International aviation experts would deduce suspected pilot error caused by “spatial disorientation” from a pilot “who reacted inappropriately in the face of the abnormal situation” as the probable cause of the disappearance. The local inspector general would suggest the bulb theory, stating that a loose bulb fell in the cockpit, causing panic.

But he would be quick to warn that the bulb theory is one of the leads they are pursuing and it may change with time, depending on investigation outcomes. The inspector general would further assure the nation that they were holding suspects who were helping with investigations.

Members of the public would be requested to be vigilant as well as share information that may help arrest individuals involved in this unusual disappearance. Meanwhile, the police would warn media houses and threaten journalists over their ‘sensational’ coverage, stating that it may comprise national security.

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