Archive for July, 2010
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Wednesday July 7, 2010 – Almost three years after being removed from a list of carriers that have been banned in the European Union, Suriname’s Blue Wing Airlines is back on because of safety concerns.
The airline, which began operations in 2002, was among carriers blacklisted because specific safety rules were not fulfilled and there was no adequate reaction on a query regarding safety issues. However, the carrier was removed in late 2007.
But in its updated list, published yesterday, the European Commission (EC) said Blue Wing Airlines had been put back following “a series of accidents…and serious deficiencies revealed during ramp inspections of its aircraft”.
Two months ago, an Antonov An-28 operated by Blue Wing Airlines crashed about three miles north-east of Poketi, Suriname. The two pilots and six passengers died. In October last year, the same model plane was involved in an accident on a runway and was substantially damaged. Four people were injured in that incident.
But the most serious accident on record was in April 2008 when 19 passengers and two crew members were killed after one of the Antonov An-28 planes crashed upon landing at the Lawa Antino Airport in southeastern Suriname.
“We cannot afford to compromise on air safety. Where we have evidence that air carriers are not performing safe operations, or where regulators fail in their obligation to enforce safety standards, we must act to guarantee safe skies for our citizens when they travel,” said EC Vice-President Siim Kallas as the revised list of blacklisted countries was released.
While Blue Wing does not fly to Europe, it does go to French Guiana which is an overseas region of France, an EU member state.
Early last month, the United States embassy in Suriname said that its staff had been banned from travelling with Blue Wing due to safety concerns.
A few days later, the Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Zulficar Mohammed, told the Stabroek newspaper that the airline’s safety clearance was up to standard and was continually monitored.
The EU list of 278 banned airlines is made up mostly of carriers from Africa and Asia. This latest update is the 14th revision since the list was first released in 2006.
Dollar destinations are proving popular with holidaymakers despite poor exchange rates, ash cloud problems and airline strikes, a travel trends report has shown.
Caribbean hotspots and American cities are among the fastest-growing long-haul destinations this year, the report from holiday company Hayes & Jarvis found.
Bookings to the Caribbean were up 130% in May and June 2010, with Antigua and Barbados the fastest-growing destinations.