Paul Phelan/CAIRNS
Air Niugini and Milne Bay Air (MBA) will lose their rights to operate to Australia unless safety oversight and regulatory irregularities are rapidly rectified, the Australian aviation minister Mark Vaile has warned his Papua New Guinea (PNG) counterpart.
Making public a list of shortcomings identified in a safety audit of PNG carriers Air Niugini and MBA and the nation's aviation regulator, Vaile says: "Consideration will have to be given to the possible suspension of the airlines' air operator certificates." PNG's Office of Civil Aviation (OCA) relies heavily upon Australian expertise for its operation.
Vaile's warning to PNG transport minister Kala Swolkin follows a letter from Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) acting director John Pike to PNG regulatory chief Samuel Geno, noting that the OCA "-does not appear to have sufficient resources in its inspectorate" to fulfil its safety oversight obligations. "It is also of concern that the airlines do not appear to have made satisfactory progress in remedying the deficiencies identified during the [safety] audit," it adds. Pike set a two-week deadline for the OCA to come up with a list of remedies.
The audit has identified "key issue deficiencies" in both airlines, including spares shortages leading to excessive use of deferred maintenance, lack of response to airworthiness audits, Air Niugini's apparent failure to demonstrate it is correctly implementing extended range twin-engined operations, coupled with inadequate quality control and apparent inadequate training provisions.
Source: Flight International
