Order independent audit of airport operations

Frequency of plane crashes around

The frequency of plane crashes around Wilson Airport is worrying. The casualty levels have been low because they involve light aircraft, but this is no reason not to deal with the problem.

 It is imprudent of our air regulators to take this matter lightly, given Kenya’s busiest airport is ringed by human settlement. Only divine intervention or sheer luck have prevented planes from landing on homes.

Our air safety record is not as good as it should be. Worse, Wilson occupies a critical space in our tourism industry as a popular choice for tourists visiting our national parks. It is also a hub for medical airlifts and humanitarian relief operations. Finally, it is the base of the Police Air Wing.

But it increasingly is appearing like it is not getting the attention it deserves from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. Could the problem lie with the enforcement of safety maintenance standards on the ground or structural layout of airport facilities? The latter is doubtful as Wilson once had an impressive safety record.

It might not even an issue of training because, certainly, pilots caught up in accidents frequently land and take-off in other airports. The problem must be elsewhere and only an independent audit can tell us where.

KCAA cannot investigate itself and not much can be expected of the investigators at the Transport Ministry in terms of open, independent investigations. It is only an independent body that can tell us what is going on. Procrastination on this matter is to court disaster, so order a probe now.