SN BA A330 stuck in KGL

natacha737 · Post by **natacha737** » 23 Feb 2006, 22:22

@ Robin Bamps,

MMZ B763 is either CS-TLO or CS-TLQ

Best regards

Post by **Bruspotter** » 23 Feb 2006, 22:28

Hello

This is just a horrible thing , what's happening!!! Really disgusting game!!!
And again the pax , the staff etc are the victim. Even a development worker is there. You don't even have to ask.

I have NO DOUBT at all that it's nothing than a dirty corrupt political game of Kagamé.

To tell you what I think , and I'm sure this time I'm TOTALLY NOT SO far from the truth I guess.

For me it's more than obvious that the reason why the plane is impounded at KGL is the presence of the Silverback at BRU. SURE OF THAT! They are playing it 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' game!
Unfortunately they have no reason , and that's why it's so obviously. The SN plane had not the least problems , the papers where sent within a day and where complete and correct. 2 Different technicians (one independent one special send to there) have declared the plane 100% safe to fly.
Still the plane isn't aloud to leave???? COME ON! IT's CRYSTAL CLEAR!!!
Unfortunately they forget that 9XR-SC DOES had technical failures (severe) , and that he CAN'T just leave like nothing happened. It has been disapproved according to Belgian (and European?) safety norms.
And that it takes much more than a maintenance overhaul to get it in the air again. Not mentioning when they are going to pay for that.

A premeditated dirty political game , that's what it is , and I'm almost sure this is a case of corruption , it's SO COMMON in Africa , I guess they might even receive big sums of money for it (maybe from Silverback???).

One thing is sure , this IS like minster of external business 'Karel De Gught' said a very complex and delicate diplomatic problem , that WILL effect the future relations with Rwanda.

Sending a commando team to fly the plane back wouldn't make any difference I guess (too bad

) , because I think they might fire on it , it's such a dangerous place to be.

If the negotiations fail , we can maybe threatening with breaking all political AND economical relations , or (if we can ) threaten with a economical boycott? Maybe (although it IS kind a rude...but it might be a possibility) even threaten with ceasing all humanitairy operations in the country (for a wile)??? Who will say.

But I would say , get rid of that DC-8 up here and banish it (if it is still not safe) so we get our plane and pax and staff back and that we can keep on with the normal life again.

ACTION = REACTION!!!

Best regards: Yannick

Jense · Post by **Jense** » 23 Feb 2006, 22:32

Go Yannick, go! Tell them!

Vinnie-Winnie · Post by **Vinnie-Winnie** » 23 Feb 2006, 22:55

LeFreak wrote:we can only hope the belgian authorities will intervene in the financial cost this incident caused .. it would be only fair to do so since in the end it's most likely a pure political question and might probably have happened with any other belgian plane that happened to be there apparently at the wrong moment in time .. i think we can all agree that would be one of the few ways we like to see our tax money spend ..

Ever heard of insurances covering political risks? I hope and assume they have one since they mostly serve unstable countries in Africa!

Anyway I really don't want to see one eurocent spent on a SN BRU! There are so many other things to sort out in Belgium.

Back on topic well yeah welcome to the most unstable continent in the world. Go there but at your own risks...

Zorba · Post by **Zorba** » 24 Feb 2006, 10:14

Funny thing about this issue: Karel de Gucht had promised (or at least said to) the Rwandan government he would make sure the Silverback would be flying again, but that's out of his hands so I think the government in Rwanda is quite p*ssed of that.

regi · Post by **regi** » 24 Feb 2006, 10:39

scenario: The Belgian Ministry of Development pays for the repairs on the Silverback. The Silverback departs. An A330 is allowed to leave Kigali - after all extra airport parking fees were also paid by the same belgian ministry.
A loose-loose situation.
Bad thing for the Africans: they get that Silverback again in their back yard. Helmets on!
Let us open a bet: how many days or weeks will that DC-8 remain in the air?

flySNdotcom · Post by **flySNdotcom** » 24 Feb 2006, 11:20

Update on the website of "De Standaard". See link http://www.standaard.be/Artikel/Detail. ... 022006_006

Looks like it will be a never ending story...

TWA · Post by **TWA** » 24 Feb 2006, 11:27

I just hope that they allow the 120 pax to leave the country on other carriers by now,...looks like the diplomatic tension between Belgium and Rwanda is only rising.

Hommie · Post by **Hommie** » 24 Feb 2006, 13:18

Was there a feul leak too?

Hommie

SN Brussels airbus impounded
By Silver Bugingo & Mansur Kakimba
Thursday, 23 February 2006
Civil aviation authorities have impounded a Belgian-registered airbus belonging to SN Brussels for what was termed “safety and security reasons”. “After the routine civil aviation inspection exercise it was found out that there was a serious fuel tank leakage. This is on top of other maintenance irregularities, making it very risky for passengers,” the Director of Civil Aviation Authority Joshua Mbaraga told The New Times on phone.

He, however, hastened to add: “We are closely working around the clock with the SN Brussels management and, hopefully, the irregularities will be rectified very soon.
According to an employee of the airliner who spoke to The New Times on condition of anonymity, the civil aviation inspectors intercepted the flight while all its 120 passengers were already aboard. They then demanded for documents detailing the plane’s maintenance record for the past year, most of which the crew did not readily have.
The grounding of SN Brussels in Kigali on grounds of flawed maintenance standards coincides with a similar move by Belgian civil aviation authorities which impounded Silverback, a Rwandan-registered aircraft, No. 9XR-SC and banned it from using the Belgian airspace in August last year.
However Mbaraga refuted reports that the move by Rwanda aviation authorities is more of a retaliatory act, than a case of serious maintenance irregularities on the part of SN Brussels.
“That analysis has no basis at all and the decision was not arrived at without prior warning,” he said, adding that the SN Brussels management had not acted on prior warning by the civil aviation police.
“It was just an unfortunate coincidence of incidents and we are terribly sorry for the passengers. But we had no better option and I hope they understood our position which is in the interest of their safety.”
The General Manager of Silverback, Innocent Mupenzi, was last year quoted as saying:
“Our company was denied the use of Belgian airspace without any justification, yet we are aware of companies that have neither been blacklisted nor denied use of the airspace, yet their aircrafts have crashed at least three times.”
A cross section of passengers who have since had the flights cancelled have expressed concern over the delay. “After waiting in the plane for over four hours, SN Brussels officials came and told us that we were not flying but didn’t specify the problem. I doubt whether it was a technical problem because the pilot was already in the cockpit,” lamented a female Belgian passenger who only identified herself as Jackie.
Asked whether they would sue or even charge for cancellation of the flight and delays, Jackie said, “I would consider that after reaching home. What we are now worried about is getting home. Our families are worried about us.”
She also explained that they were informed later by SN Brussels that the Civil Aviation Police demanded the plane’s maintenance record which they did not have on board. “It is logical that one can’t keep all the year’s documents on board.”
Meanwhile, SN Brussels is footing the accommodation and all the miscellaneous expenses for their clients until they are connected to their respective destinations. A source at SN Brussels headquarters in Kigali told The New Times, by press time that 100 passengers had already left by alternative connections.

flySNdotcom · Post by **flySNdotcom** » 24 Feb 2006, 14:02

If there was a fuel leak that could be repaired, our minister of foreign affairs and our prime minister would not have discussed the topic with their colleagues in Rwanda...
I think Director of Civil Aviation Authority Joshua Mbaraga did not give the correct information to The New Times. What about freedom of the press in Rwanda? My opinion is that the authorities and government in Rwanda just want to make Belgium and it's companies appear in a bad light (they did before...).

Sparrow · Post by **Sparrow** » 24 Feb 2006, 14:30

This noon I looked to the news (Het Journaal - Belgian television) and they said that the plane of SN still stand on the ground. The reason therefore is the story with the Silverblack grounded in Brussels.
The family of the Rwandan president is the owner of the company Silverblack. He had given the command to grounded the SN aircraft.
Tuesday when Europe announce the 'black list' (and when the SN aircraft has grounded) of unsafe airlines, Silverblack was on this list too. This would be the official reason of the grounded SN.

Telspace · Post by **Telspace** » 24 Feb 2006, 14:52

Now that we know who is the owner of the Silver Back company, thigs make sense.

Sorru for SNBA, they do not deserve that.

Denis

flySNdotcom · Post by **flySNdotcom** » 24 Feb 2006, 15:09

In the end, if this “hijacking” of the airplane takes much longer, the hard working SN employees will be the victim of this affair, when SN has to announce it’s bankruptcy...

Post by **sn26567** » 24 Feb 2006, 15:23

Sparrow wrote:The family of the Rwandan president is the owner of the company Silverblack. He had given the command to ground the SN aircraft.

Yesterday on RTL-TVI news a spokeswoman for the Rwandan embassy in Brussels denied between the two cases. Has she been promised a medal for saying so?

flySNdotcom · Post by **flySNdotcom** » 24 Feb 2006, 15:28

The A330 may leave Kigali

killerwhale65 · Post by **killerwhale65** » 24 Feb 2006, 15:35

finally! Good news. Let's hope there are some serious consequences for Rwanda!

EDIT: hmm, posts seem to dissapear? Where has the internal note gone to?

regi · Post by **regi** » 24 Feb 2006, 15:42

so if the reason was a fuel leak, this is a physical fact and can be checked.
Show us the fuel leak .

Zorba · Post by **Zorba** » 24 Feb 2006, 16:01

regi wrote:so if the reason was a fuel leak, this is a physical fact and can be checked.
Show us the fuel leak .

There was no fuel leak! During the fragment which can be found on www.vrtnieuws.net they say Rwanda said there was a fuel leak

Post by **sn26567** » 24 Feb 2006, 16:33

killerwhale65 wrote:EDIT: hmm, posts seem to disappear? Where has the internal note gone to?

If there were no fuel leaks, it seems that there were leaks from internal SN messages. Anyway, for everybody to be informed, the Airbus will leave Kigali today and pick up some passengers stranded at Nairobi on the way to Brussels.

Happy end!

killerwhale65 · Post by **killerwhale65** » 24 Feb 2006, 16:43

lol, ok i get the point!