EU slaps no-fly ban on Blue Wing Airlines

The no-fly ban slapped by the European Union (EU) on Blue Wing Airlines and which came into effect Wednesday, has come as a surprise to the airline’s management.
Blue Wing is among three airlines that the EU banned from operating in its 25 nation bloc, while restriction was placed on a fourth; and according to a release, it is all part of the airline’s updated blacklist of carriers to try to boost safety in European skies.

The airline, in a release on Tuesday, said the bans were based on criteria such as old or poorly maintained aircraft, failure to solve problems identified in inspections, and bad oversight by regulatory authorities.
Wednesday,Blue Wing’s Financial Manager, Mr. Dharmin Kandhai, in a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle from the airline’s Zorg en Hoop Airport  headquarters in Paramaribo, Suriname,  said the decision only affects its flights to French Guiana  and that management views a May 15 last crash as the only reason behind the EU ban from flying into its airspace.
But, said Kandhai, “The airline cannot imagine that the French authorities are complaining about something that has nothing to do with them. We don’t see the reason, we don’t see the fuss.”
On May 15 last, a Russian-made, twin-engine Antonov aircraft went down in a forest shortly after taking off from a small airstrip near Godo Holo, killing all eight people aboard; two local pilots, and six Surinamese passengers.
The flight had taken off at 15:00h hrs Suriname time from the domestic airfield and aviation authorities learned around 15:30hrs the plane had crashed in a dense forest near the French Guiana border, some 200 kilometres southeast of the capital, Paramaribo.
He argued that the carrier which the airline operates in French Guiana is a F406, which is totally different to the Antonov 28 that crashed.
Responding to a query, the airline official said Blue Wing aircraft are certified under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ), but noted that the EU has other rules  under which the aviation industry operates.
He said the airline’s manager, Mr. Anichand Jhauw,  is in contact with EU officials and will be producing the necessary documentation so that a review of the decision can be had.

The ban makes it the second time that the EU has placed Blue Wing on its blacklist. The last was removed in late 2008.
And then there was an advisory from U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo Suriname last month, barring its staff from flying with the local airlines due to safety concerns.
The U.S. Embassy advisory prohibiting the use of the small carrier for official domestic travel in the South American nation was issued about three weeks after the May 15 crash of an aircraft in rough weather.
And, in April 2008, Blue Wing reported a similar crash involving the same model where 19  people died when that plane crashed as it approached an airstrip.
Meanwhile, Blue Wing continues to fly its Caravan and Twin Otter aircraft uninterrupted into Guyana. Flights are operated every day of the week, excluding Sunday, Kandhai reminded.

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