Tongan Xian MA60: NZ Government health warning

[FlightlessParrot]

According to today's NZ Herald, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a travel advisory because a Tongan airline (Real Tonga) has bought a Xian MA60, and this aircraft does not have Western certification, and has been involved in a lot of accidents.

Looking through the Aviation-Safety.net database, the MA60 accidents recorded there all look pretty well attributable to operational culture rather than hardware problems. Has MFAT been too cautious (or political), or is it really a dodgy aeroplane?

[John Hill]

John Key sucking up to who he thinks are our masters.

[DeltaT]

Have a read (http://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/519006-b787-ma60.html)

[Phileas Fogg]

Well here in the Philippines Zest Air operate MA60's and they've had one notable prang in Caticlan Airport:

Zestair MA60 crash - YouTube

What I don't get is that Caticlan only has an 810m runway, and when I were a lad only STOL airliners such as DHC6's, DHC7's, Do228's could get in and out of the likes yet here in the Philippines they consider it acceptable to operate such types as MA60's, ATR72's and Q400's in/out of little more than such a landing strip.