South Sudan bans Let 410 UVPs, restricts Antonov ops

The South Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) has ordered the grounding of all An-24s, An-26s, An-30s, BAe 748s, and Let 410 UVPs except for United Nations Humanitarian Air Service-operated Antonovs.

In a notice dated November 7 seen by ch-aviation, the regulator’s chief executive, Subek David Dada, gave foreign operators of the affected types until November 12 to remove their aircraft. In addition, the SSCAA also decried the South Sudanese Air Force’s use of fake foreign registrations for its two An-26s, warning that it would ground the two turboprops should they not be reverted to their military registrations.

The move follows a slew of accidents involving the Antonov Design Bureau and Let Kunovice turboprops over the past twelve months, the latest occurring on November 2 when a Gabon-registered An-26 crashed shortly after take-off from Juba en-route to Maban. All five crew on board were killed.