Two military planes collide at Khartoum Airport
October 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Khartoum airport Wednesday was shut down for several hours after two military transport planes belonging to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have collided on the ground.
Leaked video footage has shown an Antonov An-32 and an Antonov An-26 military transport aircrafts moving across the airport, when they both entered the same runway, with one aircraft suddenly ramming the tail of the other.
Spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority, Abdel-Hafiz Abdel-Rahim told Sudan Tribune that Khartoum airport Airport authorities had suspended air traffic for several hours in order to take the necessary safety precautions.
He pointed out that the suspension of navigation at the airport is a globally recognized measure aiming to ensure that all safety precautions have been taken.
The SAF didn’t issue any statement regarding the incident. Also, no casualties were reported.
Last month, two SAF pilots were killed in a military training plane crash north of Khartoum. The incident was the second of its kind in few days after a military plane crashed in Nyala airport, South Darfur State injuring 15 people on board.
Sudan’s air force fleet of Russian-made planes and helicopters has suffered a number of losses in recent years, with the military frequently blaming technical problems.
In June 2017, a military plane crashed on in the Northern State, killing all four crew members on board.
In October 2016, a Bo 360 helicopter crashed in Um Hani area, White Nile State, 105 kilometres south of Khartoum killing the pilot and injuring two crew members.
An Antonov 26 fighter jet in April 2016 crashed while landing at the airport in El Obied, the capital of North Kordofan state, killing all five crew members on board.
Also, 32 people were killed in August 2012 when their Antonov AN-26 crashed in Talodi, South Kordofan’s third-largest town.
In October 2012, an Antonov plane crashed in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman killing 12 people.
Two air force crew died in June 2013 when their helicopter crashed in war-torn Blue Nile state, just a week after one went down in South Kordofan.
(ST)