Camair-co: Aviation authority certifies MA60 Chinese planes

In the last session of the legislative year at the National Assembly, the issue of the MA60 Chinese planes were the main concern of the 2016 budget.

Each minister was supposed to defend the budget allocated to his ministry. The Finance and Budget Committee, sought to find out from the Minister of Transport the fate of the two aircrafts acquired in China to strengthen the fleet camair-co.

"To date, the two MA 60 aircraft have already received their technical certification by the aviation authority allowing commercial exploitation by camair-co. Before commissioning scheduled for guidance during the third decade of December 2015, the five qualified crews will start in China for an upgrade, while the aircraft will undergo all technical visits and preliminary tests," said Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o who was quoted by the daily Mutations on Monday, December 1, 2015.

The announcement puts an end to speculation and questions about the fate of these two Chinese-made aircraft, registered initially in favour of the army.

If the opinion needed such an announcement regarding such aircraft, subject to the signing on September 27, 2011, a memorandum of understanding between the Minister of State for Transport (then) Bello Bouba Maigari, and heads of Avic International holding is that these aircraft have aroused in public opinion great controversy relating to their reliability and their cost.

Critics of MA 60, including some parliamentarians, referred to the planes as "flying coffins". Yet, Mutations indicated that the aircraft which were graciously received from the Chinese state was incorporated since November 8, 2012, in the fleet of the air force.

A device that totaled in early June 2014, 500 takeoffs with 740 flight hours and which the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic carries out some of his local trips.