A group of fire-fighters almost plunged the 4 country’s airports into chaos after they obtained a court order to attach fire engines at the facilities.

The fire-fighters won a US$3,1 million lawsuit against the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ).

Attaching the engines would have virtually stopped all flights in the country as no plane would have been able to land or take off.

According to the Herald, the debt arose over the deployment of at least 122 fire-fighters to the DRC between 1998 and 2003.

The fire engines are said to be technologically advanced and second to none in Africa.

They were supposed to be attached on Monday, said the sources, but Government has blocked the process and is seeking an administrative solution.

“Worldwide aviation safety requirements, bar an airport from operating without fire tenders. Our lawyers have told us that the attachment has been halted as it would have been detrimental to the economy,” said a fireman on condition of anonymity.

The fire-fighters said all they wanted was their money.

“I’m not sure which airports the attachment order covers.

“But if it’s all the airports, it means we would have attached three water tenders from Harare airport, two each from Bulawayo and Victoria Falls and one each from Kariba, Buffalo Range, Hwange National Park, Masvingo and Charles Prince,” said the fireman.

“That would have meant no flights in and out of the country,” he added.

The legal battle over the allowances has been raging since 2003.

The fire-fighters have won it in every court but CAAZ would appeal.

It went up to the Supreme Court this year, which upheld the decisions of the lower courts.

Zimbabwean fire fighters were reportedly deployed to the DRC in 1998 when the Kinshasa Airport caught fire after a plane crash landed.

Local fire-fighters failed to put out the fire, which threatened to spread to residential areas.

The DRC government sent an SOS to CAAZ, which then sent firemen to assist. Source: Herald