January vol 30 2011, Featured Articles, Takeoff Africa: Aviation and Travel Indaba
Harare's aviation authority 'a farce'
The crisis-ridden Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) is again in the spotlight after being dismissed as a farce amid calls for management to resign.
The crisis-ridden Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) is again in the spotlight after being dismissed as a farce amid calls for management to resign.
The index is at an all-time low of 29% against the worldwide generally accepted index of 68%.
The revelations are contained in a customer-satisfaction measurement report which was seen by the Sunday Times.
In it, airlines, pilots and service providers lambast the CAAZ for incompetence.
Zimbabwe's civil aviation industry is beset with serious problems.
Management admitted recently that its surveillance and communication systems were obsolete, making the country's airspace among the most dangerous in the world.
In the report, commissioned by the CAAZ, customers blame management for the problems.
"Senior management tends to be too authoritative, like a father-son relationship. The CEO (David Chawota) is inaccessible and arrogant, and he lacks the strategic vision to see the parastatal through," the report reads.
"The CAAZ deliberately delays assessment and processing of documents and ignores complaints. The previous CEO had a vision and people at heart. Most pilots interviewed said there should be no politics at CAAZ, as this had led to the appalling conditions which have forced most of them to leave."
The report also states that simple appliances at the country's airports are not working, including conveyor belts, which have been broken for more than a year.
Airlines have complained that runway lights are often not working, and note that this is a disaster waiting to happen in wet weather.
Passengers also complained that the check-in systems were usually out of order, resulting in delays. They also criticised the CAAZ for failing to maintain information screens detailing flight departures and arrivals.
Pilots and airlines said there was a lack of security at airports. Some vehicles on the tarmac do not have reflectors or beacons.
Airline operators also complained that projects started nearly 10 years ago still had not been completed - such as Zimbabwe's second airport, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo.
CAAZ spokesman Annajulia Hungwe could not immediately comment on the report on Friday.
Chawota has claimed there is little support from the government, hence the persistent problems at the organisation. There have also been reports of a lack of communication between CAAZ and the Ministry of Transport, under which the organisation falls.
The report says the organisation could deal with the issues by " re-examining the existing expertise and perhaps replace some of it , especially in the areas of customer courtesy".
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