Minsitry awaiting report on the Emirates Airlines plane which aborted its flight

Transport, Communication, Wor
ks and Supply Minister Christopher Yaluma has said his Ministry is waiting for a report on the Emirates Airlines plane which aborted its flight on Sunday evening following a technical fault.

Mr Yaluma said in an interview yesterday that he was currently basing his information on “face value” and thus would only chart the way forward on the issue after the Civil Aviation conducted its investigations and furnished him with a report based on its findings.

“Of course Civil Aviation will conduct investigations and compile a report. It’s part of their routine work. But from the information I’ve had before I could await the report, I think it was a fault on the plane which almost caught fire mid air and they were forced to land or crash land or to do whatever so that they could just save the lives of the people on the plane.

“As to what caused the fire, that is something else, you see, because that will only be known after the reliable people who do investigative reports or investigations on planes with regard to faults. Those should come up with some findings on that then we will get the full information,” he said.

Mr Yaluma said Government would endeavour to do everything possible to ensure that the airports were safe for landing and that requirements for safe landing and takeoff were adhered to or any other eventualities which might arise to force a plane to land at airports.

On Sunday evening, an Emirates Airlines plane EK714 was destined to Dubai aborted its flight several minutes after takeoff at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport following a technical fault developed in mid air.

Prominent among the over 130 passengers aboard the plane which took off around 21:18 hours and made an emergency landing around 21:50 Zambia Daily Mail board chairperson Mizinga Melu.