Many of the planes in the fleets of South Africa’s domestic carriers were made in the 1980s, according to data collated by News24. The average age of planes of commercial domestic fleets is 21 years.

Airlink has 66 aircraft, the largest fleet out of SA’s five domestic carriers. Its oldest plane is 25 years’ old, while its newest plane is five years’ old. The oldest commercial plane still flying passengers in South Africa is a 38-year-old Dash 8, flown by CemAir. It once belonged to the US Department of Justice.

Although commercial planes are usually replaced after about 23 years, there’s no correlation between a plane’s age and its safety.

 🔗 News24