Zimbabwe commits to improving airline standards

ZIMBABWE HAS signed a safe skiesdeclaration drawn up by the United States to make African airlines improve their standards to meet those
of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
South Africa is one of only four countries on the continent that qualify for Category One status of the organisation's guidelines. Zimbabwe is defined as a Category Three country, which means that aircraft are at risk when landing and attract much higher insurance premiums. As a result, Zimbabwe's airlines are denied overflight and landing rights in the United States.
Zimbabwe signed the declaration, which applies to both cargo and passenger airlines, at the end of a visit by United States transport secretary, Rodney E Slater. He has been visiting African heads of state to urge them to improve their airlines' standards, which will lead to more visitors and foreign exchange.
Slater says the United States will advise Zimbabwe and other countries on how to generate more revenue for their airlines, Zimbabwe's transport minister, Enos Chikowore, accused industrialised countries at the signing of exploiting Africa's weaknesses for profits, implying that the continent is deliberately downgraded for commercial motives. He said Air Zimbabwe has been trying to get landing rights in the United States but has been dogged by bad publicity.
By Martin Rushmere