Malawi: Chilima Plane Crash Inquiry Lays Bare Malawi's Aviation Safety Crisis
[Nyasa Times] The parliamentary inquiry into the June 10, 2024 plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others has heard troubling testimony suggesting Malawi's aviation infrastructure suffers from long-standing structural deficiencies -- raising uncomfortable questions about institutional readiness that extend well beyond the immediate circumstances of the crash itself.
Parliamentary inquiry into June 10, 2024 plane crash that killed Vice-President Chilima and eight others reveals Malawi's aviation safety crisis. Fredrick Chisepeya, director of Aerodromes and Air Navigation Standards at CAAM, testified that the country risks failing next year's ICAO audit without urgent investment in safety and security infrastructure.
Malawi has only one secondary flight surveillance radar, which covers aircraft less effectively at lower altitudes. The defence force aircraft was outside radar coverage during the crash, as confirmed by Chisepeya. Mzuzu Airport, the crash's intended destination, failed to meet required protection standards, scoring around three out of six on CAAM's ten-point safety scale.
The airport lacked a valid licence at the time of the crash, having only received one in 2025 with conditions attached. Enforcement of aviation standards across Malawi's airports remains inconsistent, according to Chisepeya. Committee members questioned the existence of formal aviation codes for reporting interference incidents and the possibility of frequency interference between the aircraft and ground officials.
The testimony suggests that the crash was likely a symptom of deeper, systemic underinvestment in aviation infrastructure meant to keep Malawi's skies safe.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
