NEW AIRPLANE TEST FLIGHT TODAY

MBABANE – Swaziland’s new ‘bird’, the Boeing 737-300, will today have its first test flight.

The airplane is expected to start servicing its route in the next three weeks. This is if what government’s wishes are anything to go by.
The 149-seater aircraft, which is managed by Swazi Airways, arrived in the country last week Thursday via King Mswati III International Airport (KMIII) and was produced by American manufacturers, Boeing Commercial Airlines.
It is currently parked at KMIII.

In an interview yesterday, Minister of Public Works and Transport Lindiwe Dlamini said there will be a test flight of the aircraft to Cape Town. The test flight will be undertaken by a trained crew and will be leaving KMIII at 10am. She said government, together with Swazi Airways, are currently in the final stages of the certification of the aircraft before it can embark on its maiden flight.

The certification process is being undertaken by the Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) in line with regulations provided by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
In terms of international laws, the aircraft cannot take to the skies until it acquires what is known as the Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

Minister Dlamini said the process of certification started long before the plane even arrived in the country and she was hopeful that it would be completed very soon.
 “Once the certification process has been completed, the aircraft will commence its daily flight routine,” said the minister.
However, independent observers seem not to agree with the minister. An informed expert who spoke to this newspaper yesterday said he was not convinced that the aircraft would undertake its maiden flight in the next three weeks as per the minister’s assertions.

 He said certification of an aircraft was a long and complicated process.
He said in his view, obtaining the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) for the new Swazi Airways plane would not be happening anytime soon.
The civil aviation expert said there was still a lot that needed to be done before the certificate could be obtained.

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