The Somali Civil Aviation Authority has banned 11 aircraft registered in Malawi from operating in the country after ramp inspections uncovered regulatory violations, director-general Ahmed Hassan has confirmed to ch-aviation.
He was responding to an inquiry following several local news reports that the SCAA, in a letter dated February 16, had removed the affected aircraft from their respective operators' air operator's certificates (AOC), citing non-compliance with national aviation regulations and international standards and "serious safety deficiencies". The enforcement action took effect immediately. The suspensions would remain in place until operators demonstrated full adherence to safety and airworthiness standards, the authority said.
The SCAA did not name the operators involved, but confirmed that each was formally notified of the grounding decision.
"These deficiencies constitute non-compliance with the applicable national regulations. In light of the severity of the findings, the Authority has determined that continued operations would present an unacceptable level of safety risk," the SCAA letter was cited by Diplomat News Network.
The authority said inspections identified multiple technical and operational shortcomings that breached national rules as well as the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including provisions related to aircraft operations and airworthiness.
The SCAA said it was mandated to enforce compliance with ICAO standards, particularly those governing aircraft operations and airworthiness requirements.
A senior aviation official in Mogadishu told Diplomat News Network that most of the suspended aircraft belong to smaller charter and cargo operators serving domestic and humanitarian routes. The move is seen to reflect the government’s broader effort to strengthen regulatory oversight.
ch-aviation has contacted the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority for comment.
The regulator's action comes after Starsky Airlines was left without in-house aircraft when its single Fokker 50 overran the runway on landing at Mogadishu on February 10. All 55 people on board survived the incident.
