Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

City

Dayton

Abstract

The international air traffic in the Africa region is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.1% between 2012 and 2032. The air transport industry in the region has supported about 6.9 million jobs, contributed about $ 67.8 million in economic activity, and about $ 80.5 million in GDP. However, the African continent was ranked last in the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) report for the year 2012. Efforts by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), airlines, and governments, and other institutions are currently underway to promote aviation safety. Aviation safety implementation in the Africa region is essential as air transport is expected to play a key part in the region's economic growth through variety of means such as the transportation of passengers and cargo to and from the region. This study analyses the underlying causes of the air accidents for scheduled commercial air transport within the African continent that happened between 2004 and 2014. The focus of the study is to determine whether there is a significant difference between accidents caused by aircraft mechanical issues and accidents caused by other reasons such as pilot error or poor weather. Preliminary results indicate that most scheduled commercial air transport accidents in the region are likely to result from non-mechanical issues. A discussion is presented on ways to minimize the occurrence of air accidents in the region.

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