Following the near-crash of a private jet carrying President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s on May 29, 2025, the Government of Türkiye has swiftly dispatched an emergency aviation accident investigation team to Liberia.
The high-level Turkish delegation, led by aviation safety expert Mr. Altan Yasar Tekin, arrived at Roberts International Airport (RIA) earlier this week to begin a technical investigation into the incident. Their visit was triggered by a formal request from Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, who engaged Ankara in the aftermath of the near-disaster.
Sources familiar with the matter say the jet carrying President Boakai experienced severe technical irregularities during descent into RIA, raising alarms over the state of Liberia’s aviation infrastructure. Though no lives were lost, the scare has underscored urgent safety concerns at the country’s main international gateway.
The Turkish team’s arrival is not only part of a crisis response but also a diplomatic commitment from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who previously pledged to support Liberia’s struggling aviation sector. Mr. Tekin and his team are expected to conduct site assessments, black box evaluations, and infrastructure diagnostics over the next several days.
In a move to deepen bilateral cooperation, Türkiye’s Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, has confirmed a follow-up mission from June 10–13. The delegation will engage Liberian authorities on long-term plans to modernize RIA and enhance operational safety, particularly as Liberia continues to struggle with aging airport facilities and limited technical oversight.
“The Government of Türkiye is committed to strengthening aviation safety through strategic partnerships. Liberia’s request aligns with our broader economic diplomacy efforts to support infrastructure development across Africa,” Minister Uraloğlu said in a statement from Ankara.
Foreign Minister Nyanti, speaking from Monrovia, emphasized that the partnership is more than a diplomatic gesture, it is a critical step toward preventing future tragedies. “President Boakai narrowly escaped a catastrophic situation. It is imperative that we take this wake-up call seriously and invest in solutions that protect every passenger who uses our airport,” she said.
The Turkish intervention has been widely welcomed by the Liberian public and aviation professionals alike, many of whom have long criticized the government’s slow response to infrastructure failures. With the memory of the May 29 incident still fresh, expectations are high for rapid improvements and transparent findings from the ongoing investigation.
