‘Malawi’s crashed plane had no toilet’

Former Special Assistant for Protocol in the Office of the Vice President, Davie Kalilombe, has told Parliament that the aircraft that crashed on 10 June 2024 while carrying former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others had no toilet onboard, even though it was used for VVIP travel.

Kalilombe made the revelation on Thursday when he appeared before the ad-hoc committee investigating the Chikangawa crash in Lilongwe.

He said the lack of basic facilities on the plane stood out to him because the aircraft was regularly assigned to transport the country’s top leaders.He told the committee that his role involved coordinating travel arrangements, passenger movement and boarding procedures. Kalilombe also explained that he had earlier assisted with protocol duties during the Korea-Africa Summit in South Korea, including scheduling, compliance and the handling of official gifts.According to Kalilombe, the delegation returned to Malawi in stages because of a demanding programme, with Chilima continuing engagements before flying back through South Africa.On the day of the crash flight, he said he arrived at Kamuzu International Airport to help with final preparations and confirm passenger arrangements with airport and protocol officials. He described the boarding process as normal before the aircraft later lost contact and disappeared from sight.