Cameroon Airlines Set To Start Operating The Highly Disputed Chinese Aircraft The Government Odered From China Last Year

After many months of reluctance and negotiations, the Aviation Authority of Cameroon has finally issued the technical certificates for the 2 MA 60 aircraft delivered to the State of Cameroon by the Chinese firm Avic International, which were officially received on 1^st April 2015, the Minister of Transports just revealed. Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o spoke on this subject while defending his ministry’s budget in front of the Parliament’s Finance Commission.

This step now completed, Minister Mebe Ngo’o indicated, the aircraft will join the fleet of Camair Co, the Cameroonian public airline, which will now have five aircrafts. However, the minister  explained, “before their commissioning which is scheduled for indication only to take place during the third week of December 2015, the five qualified crews will go back to China for a refresher course, while the aircraft will go through the technical tests and trials”.

As a reminder, a controversy on the reliability of these aircraft started in Cameroon, following the decision of the government to purchase them through a loan from the Chinese government obtained in July 2012. The quality of these carriers being questioned by some experts, Avic International had to organise a press trip in its workshops in China, to try to silence the debate..