Hand-Me-Down Plane That Crashed Reflects a Cuban Air Industry in Crisis

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

Hand-Me-Down Plane That Crashed Reflects a Cuban Air Industry in Crisis

By Azam Ahmed and Kirk Semple
May 19, 2018

MEXICO CITY — Almost 40 years old by the time it crashed on Friday just outside of Havana, killing more than 100 people, the aging Boeing 737 had changed ownership nearly a half-dozen times, passing from operators in the United States to Canada, from Cameroon to the Caribbean.

“I actually flew that exact plane,” said John Cox, the head of the consultancy Safety Operating Systems, who traced the aircraft’s ownership back to 1979, when it was new and belonged to Piedmont Airlines, his former employer.

Though the cause of the crash has not been determined, the plane itself is a powerful symbol of Cuba’s troubled aviation industry. As tourism to the island surges, Cuba’s national airline finds itself struggling to acquire enough planes to meet the demand and maintain its decrepit fleet.

Cuba’s economy has long been in shambles, and experts say the troubles plaguing its aviation sector stem from the same obstacles that have bedeviled the country for decades: economic mismanagement and the United States embargo of the island.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/world/americas/cuba-plane-crash.html

[GatoGordo]

1. The apologists blame the US embargo. Not the reason for the embargo.

“If it were not for the embargo, they would be able to access a robust capital market for financing Western aircraft,”

There would be no embargo if the Castros had allowed even rudimentary attempts at democracy.

There is no one to blame except the Cuban Marxist/Leninist regime. According to the article, they DO have access to parts... they just refuse to purchase them. They also have numerous Soviet era aircraft that they can't get parts for at any price... but not a peep about that?

[Mike Rows His Boat]

2. You're the expert, after all.

Your vast experience in Cuba and all matters about Cuba’s system of govt and US/Cuban relations is, on a scale of 1 to 10, minus 20.

Thanks for your knowledge on this.

[Bacchus4.0]

3. I saw that. Cuba should ground aircraft that are unsafe. Its 100% on them nt