No plane sailing for Air Zimbabwe

Image courtesy of www.lhaero.com

There's a common joke about a man who bought shoes whose heels broke off a few hours later. When he returned to the shop, he was told they were meant to last a 100m relay. The joke highlights a perception problem surrounding Chinese-made products.

It's the same problem Air Zimbabwe is battling to deal with over its MA60 aircraft, the Xiang Modern Ark 60 bought from China three years ago.

In a campaign, the airline is trying to prove to critics that the aeroplane is not a disaster.

“What a pilot wants is equipment that is comfortable and reliable. The MA60 inspires such confidence and has the latest technology in the form of Electronic Flight Instrument System which enhances flight deck management,” says an airline captain, Dumisani Ncube, who flies the MA60. He adds, “I think the first difficulty faced by the MA60 was perception. The perception of Chinese products in Zimbabwe is very low”.

In an article accompanying the Air Zimbabwe campaign titled The unjustly maligned plane, respected economic commentator and chartered accountant, Eric Bloch admits many of the Chinese products supplied to African countries are factory seconds and rejects. However, he quickly comes to the defence of the MA60 saying that he's flown on them many times and doesn't agree with people who condemn the aircraft. But Bloch admits the aircraft is not without fault, but insists that “its deficiencies are not of magnitude or major substance”. His main complaint centres on the access stairs, which he says are extremely narrow, very unstable, and have only one rail. “For the elderly, the disabled and those passengers with baggage, the stairs inevitably provoke fears of a fall,” Bloch says.

Then, inadvertently, he points to many MA60 travellers' worst nightmare: Noise! He says the first front rows are noisy, and vibration is a problem.

He says because the fault does not extend to the other seats - so he sits at the back, where he's “closest to the bar, the loo, the exit and the wonderful air hostesses! What more can one want?”

Air Zimbabwe defends the MA60, which was first tested in 1993 and received its airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 1998. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, the instrumentation is by Rockwell Collins, which is a brand very well associated with the Boeing and Airbus and many other aircraft manufacturers. “So, technically, the MA60 has the stamp from international brands,” says Ncube.

That may be so, but noise and vibration is still fuelling a negative perception, even as Air Zimbabwe celebrates the third anniversary of successfully operating the MA60 aircraft.