Africa-Press – Malawi. At Nyasa Times, our commitment to journalistic integrity compels us to correct the record when we have been misled or have published information that does not meet our standards of truth, fairness, and balance. We therefore fully retract the article published under the title: “Civil Aviation Authority under fire over allegedly unqualified Pilot Checker”, which targeted Captain Hastings Laison Jailosi, Flight Safety Manager at the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA).
The central claims in that article, suggesting that Captain Jailosi lacked the requisite qualifications to serve as Malawi’s Pilot Checking Officer, were factually inaccurate and unjustified.
Our story was largely based on information provided to us by Captain Mlotha, who portrayed himself as a whistleblower concerned about aviation safety. However, we have since discovered that Captain Mlotha had a personal grievance against MCAA, having had his application for licence renewal rejected—not due to institutional failure or bias, but because he does not operate commercially in Malawi, but in Nigeria, and did not meet the relevant regulatory conditions.
It is now clear that Captain Mlotha deliberately twisted facts and misrepresented the truth, launching a personal vendetta against Mr. Jailosi and misleading our newsroom. This deception resulted in a half-baked and harmful publication, which we now unreservedly disown.
We have now reviewed Captain Jailosi’s full professional credentials, and the record speaks volumes:
He holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Air Transport Management from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Amity University.
He is a licensed Airline Transport Pilot (ATPL) and Certified Flight Instructor, with ratings on several aircraft including the DHC-8 Q400, Dornier 328-100, PC-12, Beechcraft King Air 200, and others.
He is an ICAO-certified Government Safety Inspector, National Safety Focal Point for ICAO, and a designated examiner recognized by both FAA and ICAO
Captain Jailosi has served as Chief Flight Operations Officer at the Department of Civil Aviation, Director of Operations at multiple aviation institutions, and Flight Safety Manager at MCAA since 2023.
He has participated in regional and global safety audits, training missions, and technical advisory assignments, including with SADC, AFCAC, EASA, and FAA.
His professional background, training record, and leadership in international aviation safety initiatives stand as a model of excellence and dedication, not controversy.
We therefore offer our sincere and unreserved apology to Captain Hastings Jailosi, his family, and the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority for the harm caused by our earlier article. We regret the distress, reputational damage, and misinformation that our report may have generated.
As a responsible media house, Nyasa Times acknowledges this failing and recommits to truthful, accurate, and impartial journalism. We shall take all necessary steps to ensure that such a lapse in editorial oversight does not happen again.
This retraction and apology will be published prominently, and we are engaging with MCAA to explore how to restore public confidence after this misstep.
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