CARSLBAD >> New Mexico Airlines has grounded flights to and from Carlsbad indefinitely until a safety concern near the airport is taken care of, said Greg Kahlstorf, chief executive of Pacific Wings.
Undocumented helicopter flights directly next to the airport, but not part of the airport, are causing what Kahlstorf described in an email to the Federal Aviation Administration as "unique safety concerns and challenges."
Kahlstorf notified the Federal Aviation Administration of the concern in May, but said nothing has yet been done to address the issue.
"It is not common for an airline to continue to have to fly into an airport where there is a safety issue like this," Kahlstorf said.
Flights by the company have officially been grounded beginning Friday morning, but Kahlstorf said Carlsbad is the only airport where flights were grounded because of airport safety concerns.
Other news sources are reporting that flights by the company in Los Alamos and other airports in Southeastern New Mexico were grounded due to mechanical issues.
Kahlstorf said that FAA regulations dictate that an airspace safety study be done in such situations, but to his knowledge, no such study has yet been done.
"After six months of notifying the appropriate agencies, we can no longer take the risk of serving a city where this safety concern exists," Kahlstorf said.
He said when the FAA has told him that the situation is safe, he will resume flights to and from Carlsbad.
Source: http://www.currentargus.com
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