TAESA, Mexico's third largest airline, is to remain grounded until Mexican authorities complete a full safety inspection. The transport ministry says the discovery of "anomalies and incidents" had led to the decision.
Suspension of the low-fare carrier's operating certificate has come two weeks after the crash of one of its McDonnell Douglas DC-9s which killed all 18 people on board. The 29-year-old aircraft crashed 12km (7nm) after take-off from Uruapan, following an emergency call from the pilots.
It was TAESA's first accident involving a scheduled flight, but a company-owned Learjet 25 crashed in fog near Washington Dulles in 1994. In September, however, the Mexican pilots' union, ASPE, claimed that TAESA was operating unsafe, ageing aircraft. The carrier denies this.
Source: Flight International
