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Airlink grounded
By PETER KORUGL
THE Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has
grounded Third Level airline Airlink Limited for four weeks.
The CAA and Airlink Ltd yesterday confirmed the grounding of the fleet
of seven planes, which came into effect last May 31 following an
investigation into company’s air safety operation.
“We were ordered to surrender our air operator’s certificate,” Airlink
chief executive officer John McMullen told The National from Madang,
where the company is based. This surrender of the certificate virtually
grounded the airline.
The CEO of CAA Joseph Kintau said the airline voluntarily surrendered
its air operator’s certificate because the licence had expired on May
31.
He said the licence would not be renewed until the airline rectified the
problems identified from the investigation.
“There were various air safety conditions the airline had to follow. We
want it to ensure that all these conditions are followed,” Mr Kintau
said.
CAA ordered the investigation last month following a crash landing of
one of its planes in Goroka, Eastern Highlands province and the Bureau
of Accident Investigation Unit of the Transport Department carried out
the audit, which was completed at the end of last month.
Mr McMullen said the issues raised were in the engineering, flight and
ground operations and the airline already rectified the issues raised
from the investigation.
He said all its offices throughout PNG were still operating and the
staff was working.
Apart from Madang, Airlink Ltd serves East Sepik and Sandaun, Morobe,
East and West New Britain, Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands,
Southern Highlands and Buka.
The grounding of the airline has affected the travelling public and
companies, particularly the newspaper companies that were using its
planes to move newspapers to destinations not served by Air Niugini.
 
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