Business | Aviation
Sudanese airline banned by UAE
Operator of crashed Boeing 707 hit with temporary suspension as investigation continues
- By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 October 26, 2009
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- The wreckage of the Boeing 707 that crashed in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Sharjah: Azza Air Transport Company, the Sudanese operator of the Boeing 707 cargo plane that crashed in Sharjah on Wednesday, killing all six crew members, has been banned from flying in UAE airspace by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), pending further investigations.
The cargo plane was carrying air conditioning units, auto parts, computers, personal effects and tools. It exploded on impact and was engulfed in flames as the fuel caught fire.
Preventive measure
The cargo airline has been temporarily banned as a preventive measure until investigations into the cause of the accident are completed, the authority said on Sunday.
GCAA said in a statement that Sharjah Airport infrastructure and operations have been investigated and do not seem to have contributed to the cause of the crash.
An investigation team, comprising five experts from the Regulation and Investigation Section of the GCAA, are leading the investigation with the authority saying it would be "premature to announce the cause of the accident before the investigation is concluded."
"The GCAA is in coordination with authorities of other states to secure all the necessary records that might contain valuable information," it added.
According to aviation experts, the Sudanese air fleet is outdated with the government claiming spare parts are not available for the country's US-made aircraft due to economic sanctions imposed by Washington. However, the United States, which has placed Khartoum on a blacklist of countries supporting terrorism, says the sanctions do not prevent the delivery of spare parts for aircraft if they are requested.
Facing a temporary ban in the UAE, the cargo airline is not on the European Community blacklist.
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