Charter airline operators with
relatively old planes in their fleet have lost a significant number of their
clients after the June 3, 2012 tragic crash involving a 22-year-old Dana Air
plane triggered controversy over the safety of old aircraft in the country,
investigation by our correspondent has revealed.
The boycott of older planes by
passengers, which started with scheduled domestic airlines shortly after the
Dana crash, has now spread to the charter sub sector, according to sources
close to the operators.
Findings revealed that a good number
of the VIPs, who often make use of chartered aircraft, were now shunning
operators with older planes in their fleet.
The development, it was gathered, had
led to bad business times for operators with predominantly old aircraft in
their fleet.
Although the VIPs’ lack of interest
in older planes had been noticeable before the Dana incident, safety concerns
raised in the aftermath of the crash escalated the trend, sources familiar with
the situation said.
A source close to the operators, who
spoke under condition of anonymity said, “These are surely not the best of
times for charter airlines with old planes in their fleet. Most of the VIPs are
dragging their feet about patronising them. The clients prefer operators with
relatively new planes.
“But I think it is an ugly trend
because we have been explaining it clearly that there is nothing like old or
new planes as far as safety is concerned. Keeping to an aircraft’s maintenance
schedule is the key thing. I think it is misinformation and it is not good for
the industry.”
It was, however, learnt that some
charter airline operators like VistaJets and Top Brass Aviation, were still
enjoying good patronage due to the relatively newer planes in their fleet.
After the Dana crash in Lagos led to
the death of 163 people, speculations were rife that the disaster might have
been caused by the relatively old age of the plane.
Industry experts, however, dispelled
the rumour, saying age had nothing to do with the safety of an aircraft.
According to them, keeping to the
maintenance schedule of an aircraft will enhance safety, while doing otherwise
can be disastrous.
They maintained that only the report
of the Accident Investigation Bureau could reveal the real cause of the Dana
crash.
The AIB has yet to release its final
report on the cause of the accident.
The Director, Business Development
and Strategy, Aero Consults Limited, Captain Dele Ore, said, “The age of an
aircraft does not cause an accident. The age is very important so that you will
know what kind of attention you need to give the aircraft. The age does not
determine what time you will stop flying it.”
Aircraft age is typically measured by
the number of total flight hours and cycles flown. One cycle is equal to one
takeoff and landing.
Experts say the number of cycles
flown is usually a more critical measure than calendar age, because it reflects
wear and tear as well as stress that are related to landings and take-offs, and
cabin compression and decompression.
Therefore, age measured in terms of
calendar years only is less informative because it does not reflect an
aircraft’s actual use patterns.
To determine the retirement age of an
aircraft, the industry focuses on the maintenance and safety requirements as
well as the economic life of the aircraft, which has to do with the cost of
maintenance. Maintenance checks on aircraft are performed at mandatory
scheduled intervals.
Critical parts and components of
airframes and engines are limited by hour or by cycle of utilisation and/or
calendar time, and must be overhauled or replaced at mandatory intervals.
Some have argued that an airplane
might be 20 years’ old, but many of its systems must have been updated,
upgraded and routinely overhauled or modified.
An engine goes through a similar process.
All its critical life-limited parts are replaced at mandatory intervals with
new and/or overhauled parts.
However, Ore believes that the true
age of an aircraft can be determined by its “economic life.”
“An aircraft becomes obsolete if its
operating cost exceeds the cost of a newer competing aircraft. That is once an
old aircraft becomes too expensive to maintain, it should be retired by the
operator,” he added.
Source:
Punch
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