This is the seventh fine that Air Transat have had levied against them this year...
For release September 6, 2001
TRANSPORT MINISTER ANNOUNCES FINES AND NEW OPERATING RESTRICTIONS FOR AIR TRANSAT
OTTAWA - Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that, pursuant to the provisions of the Aeronautics Act, Transport Canada has fined Air Transat $250,000 stemming from maintenance infractions related to the Air Transat aircraft involved in the August 24, 2001, emergency landing in the Azores. The infractions resulted from the
release of the aircraft back into service without having the maintenance completed in accordance with required procedures.
As part of its ongoing review and monitoring of Air Transat's operations, Transport Canada also announced that, as a precautionary measure, it is limiting Air Transat's Extended Range Twin Engine Operations for all aircraft, effective immediately. The new limits require all Air Transat twin engine aircraft to remain within a maximum of 90 minutes of suitable en-route airports between the point of departure and the destination - the limit normally granted to entry-level air operators. Affected aircraft in the Air Transat fleet now include Airbus A310s and Boeing 757s.
This latest measure does not alter the current limits placed on Air Transat's Airbus A330 aircraft which require them to remain within 60 minutes of suitable airports until refresher training sessions on extended range operations are completed. Once training is completed, the airline's Airbus A330 aircraft will also be moved to the 90-minute limit.
"Transport Canada is committed to taking whatever action is required to protect the Canadian travelling public," said Mr. Collenette. "While we are satisfied with the measures taken to date by the company in response to the occurrence in the Azores, and with the preliminary information coming from Transport Canada's safety audit, we believe it is appropriate to place these limitations on Air Transat while we continue to monitor its operations."
Transport Canada continues to support the investigation underway by the Portuguese authority into the contributing factors and causes of the occurrence and will respond to its findings as required.
The Minister will be available to the media at 2:30 p.m. today at the Ministers' Regional Office, 95 Wellington Street West, Suite 1702, Toronto, Ontario.