Basil raises aircraft concerns

SHADOW Minister for Aviation and Bulolo MP Sam Basil Jr has cautioned the Morobe government to properly prepare and consider their plan to buy a K6 million aircraft.
Basil raised the issue after The National reported on the provincial governments plan to buy a Twin-Otter aircraft for K6 million for people in remote areas of the province on Tuesday.
According to Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, the new plane would be operated by a company established by the provincial government called Morobe Wings Limited.
He said Morobe Wings was a subsidiary of Morobe government and was incorporated recently by the people working for that company now.
However, Basil said: “While I believe the idea has merit, and it will indeed be an asset for our mountainous province to operate its own air service for our rural people, we must make sure this investment does not go to waste.
“My message to the government to make sure we have all the necessary resources and plans in place before we sign K6 million away for such an expensive machine.”
He said points to consider are; staff such as pilots, engineers to actively operate Morobe Wings, the company set up to operate the aircraft; the long-term vision for Morobe Wings; arrangement with Civil Aviation Safety Authority and National Airports Corporation to park this aircraft at airports like Nadzab, which require permission and payment of fees before doing so; arrangement of fuel supplier; and if the government has sufficient funds to support Morobe Wings Limited, and how much will its budget require to operate in a year?
“We have been facing problems with incompetency and ‘fit and proper’ certifications in our aviation industry, where we see certain individuals who should not have access to aerodromes still active, bringing aviation security and safety into question,” Basil said.