Airline waiting on parts from France…
REPORTS are that the two ATR72-600 aircraft, which went into operation more than two months ago, are spending more time on the ground that in the air because of mechanical problems.
A source at Caribbean Airlines Ltd said that the French manufacturer has two representatives in Trinidad to help in the maintenance of the aircraft but they are experiencing problems in getting the repairs done.
“The ATR representatives reportedly do not have full experience because it is a new aircraft,” the source said.
“When parts are needed they have to be flown from France and that takes a number of days. In the meantime the planes have to remain grounded,” the source said.
“The aircraft is flying but with a lot of deferred items restrictions, Minimum Equipment Listing (MEL),” the source said.
“The aircraft is not completely cleared of the defects, which pose no danger,” it said.
The first aircraft arrived in Trinidad and Tobago last November and has been flying the Barbados, Grenada and Tobago routes.
CAL said the two aircraft are on wet-lease until the delivery of the nine planes.
CAL became the first airline to operate the new “600” series. Trinidad was used as a launching pad by the manufacturer for the ATR72-600.
When CAL announced that it was buying nine ATR72-600 aircraft at a cost of $1.2 billion (US$200 million) questions were raised about its suitability for short-hauled routes and maintenance.
“Trinidad should not have been the launch ground for this aircraft,” the source said.
CAL said it plans to use the ATRs to replace its fleet of five 50-seat Q-300s with most technologically advanced turboprops into its domestic routes.
The Government had given CAL the green light to spend US$200 million on purchasing nine aircraft from the French manufacturer after weeks of disagreement between the former Transport Minister Jack Warner and the airline’s board. Warner had threatened to resign if the deal was not approved.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had referred the matter to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who gave Warner the all clear to go ahead with the purchase of the planes.
When TnT Mirror contacted Transport Minister Devant Maharaj, he referred Mirror to CAL chairman George Nicholas III. Efforts to reach Nicholas III proved futile.
The dispute between Warner and Nicholas III over the aircraft purchase and other procurement issues figured prominently in the no-confidence motion moved by Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley in Parliament on Friday.
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