ICRC Eyes Defence Plane

SW News

Title: [SW News]( New Vision) ICRC Eyes Defence Plane
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Date :[22 April 2000 8:12 PM EST ]

ICRC Eyes Defence Plane

Story Filed: Saturday, April 22, 2000 8:12 PM EST

Kampala (New Vision, April 22, 2000) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wants to charter the defence ministry's C-130 Hercules plane to airlift Somali refugees from Kenya to Somalia.

The World Food Programme had also reportedly expressed interest in hiring the same cargo plane for its relief operations. But the deal could not materialise because the aircraft lacked a crew.

"At the sametime, the government has accepted to pay back about US $4m ( over sh6b) which Uganda Air Cargo Corporation (UACC) borrowed from Stanbic Bank in 1998," said a company source.

"Last week, Uganda Air Cargo officials received a fax from the ICRC offices in Nairobi inquiring about the possibility of chartering the aircraft," said a source.

Capt. Charles Wacha, the acting UACC general manager, confirmed the reports on Tuesday. But he declined to discuss the issues with the press without the consent of his board chairman.

"The ICRC wants the refugees airlifted from Lockichoggio in northeastern Kenya back to Somalia. Unfortunately, at present the company does not have a crew to fly the aircraft," said the source.

Company sources said if UACC clinched the deal, it would earn about US $ 1m (over sh1.5b) in transporting the refugees whose total weight on the aircraft has been put at five metric tonnes.

The New Vision, has however, learnt Wacha wants to seek the board members advice on the ICRC deal before a verdict is made.

"We hear he (Wacha) wants the board to allow him temporarily hire some pilots licensed to fly the C-130 for the ICRC contract to enable the company earn some money," added the source.

The C-130 aircraft, which was bought in September 1975, is said to be in sound mechanical condition. By 1975, the plane was worth US $18m.

The C-130 has not flown since November last year due to lack of crew.

Its last 'official' flight out of Entebbe was on October 20, 1999 when a retired crew commanded by Capt. John Kassami flew the plane to Tanzania.

Last week, UACC board members who met in Kampala gave management the go- ahead to recruit a new crew for the 24-year-old plane. Also to be recruited next month is a new substantive general manager.

Meanwhile, UACC board members who met in Kampala last week, were reportedly informed that the finance ministry had made the commitment to pay back the loan.

"The finance ministry had earlier paid US $1m (over sh1.5b) to Avisto, the Swiss company that won the contract to repair the C-130. The US $1m was said to be a balance for the aircraft repair," he said.

Aviation Support and Trading Organisation (Avisto), which belongs to a Swiss businessman, Franz Fassbind, sub-contracted a French company Sogerma, which did the repair at a cost of US $ 8.8m. But MPs have contested the expenditure.

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