ABSTRACT
The operating environment for African aviation is the most difficult in the world. With less than four percent of the world’s flights, Africa experiences about 27 percent of all accidents. Pilots must often use High Frequency Radio because VHF or Radar is nonexistent. Growing numbers of flights over the continent sometimes result in wait times of 5 to 10 minutes to find a moment for pilots to send messages. At other times, pilots talk over each other, so that communication in often lost or unheeded. Much air traffic control is procedural, based on 10-minute longitudinal standards, rather than positive control based on radar or satellite systems. Aviation in Africa is plagued by inadequate maintenance of navigational facilities resulting in frequent failures, poor safety oversight, and lack of skilled technicians to operate and repair the infrastructure.
