Home | News | SWAZI PILOTS READY TO FLY KING’S JET

SWAZI PILOTS READY TO FLY KING’S JET

Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font

LOBAMBA – Swazi pilots and engineers who will fly and maintain the King’s new jet have already been trained and are ready for the job.


This was said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze, who informed parliamentarians that even a crew to work on the new jet had already been secured and they were awaiting the delivery of the aircraft, which he hoped would take place next year.


Gamedze made these remarks during the debate of his ministry’s first quarter performance report for the financial year 2017/2018, by the portfolio committee in the House of Assembly yesterday.
The minister said the delay in the delivery of the plane was caused by the fact that government had purchased a jet that had previously been used as a commercial flight.  “What is happening now is that it is being upgraded to VVIP status in the sense that it used to have economy, business and first class seats, but now those chairs are being removed so that it can be fitted with befitting seats,” said Gamedze.


He said both the pilots and engineers had under gone intense training particularly on that kind of plane which is an Airbus A340-300. This plane is reportedly in Hamburg for cabin interior fitting after it was flown from Taipei in Taiwan.  


The minister made these remarks after he was grilled by the legislators on whether he was indeed positive that the Swazi crew were capable of operating such a plane and even ready to carry someone in a high position as the King. “What I can tell you is that several Swazis are well-trained in the field of aviation and we did not see them because the country did not have many aircrafts,” said Gamedze.
He said about every two months these pilots had to be trained or be on the field flying.


Maphalaleni MP Mabulala Maseko, wanted to know whether the pilots, after having received the training, would not then leave the country to seek greener pastures.  This question was also asked by Timpisini MP Apton Ndlovu. “We all know that government does not pay well so what are we doing to ensure that we retain these officers we are talking about,” he said.
The minister assured the legislators that although the pilots would be under government’s payroll, their salaries would be compatible with those of international standards.

Comments (0 posted):

Post your comment comment

Please enter the code you see in the image: