US FREIGHT AND passenger airline Arrow Air is bitterly criticising the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed action to close it down.
The carrier voluntarily grounded its 18 Douglas Aircraft DC-8s and Boeing 727s after the FAA reported "serious" violations in maintenance-record-keeping and a failure to show compliance with a variety of airworthiness directives. Nearly all staff has been sent on leave.
Miami, Florida-based Arrow Air says that the move to revoke its air carrier, operating certificate is "unwarranted, unmerited and unjust".
While admitting that problems exist, Arrow Air officials say that they are co-operating with the FAA to rectify them.
Arrow claims, however, that FAA inspectors endorsed its return to flight status, but the agency abruptly reversed its position, apparently at the direction of Washington-based FAA personnel.
Source: Flight International
