From todays National:..............................
Questions raised over CAA safety standards By YEHIURA HRIEHWAZI
SERIOUS questions have been raised about the standard of air safety in Papua New Guinea, ahead of an audit of the country’s air safety regulator by the world’s top aviation safety authority next week.
In a worst case scenario, if PNG fails the audit, Australia and other countries could refuse landing rights to PNG registered aircrafts.
Reliable sources have revealed to The National that certain actions by the Civil Aviation Authority’s executive management had undermined and interfered with the work of senior technical staff of the Air Safety and Regulations division of the CAA and had cast serious doubt on the integrity of PNG’s aviation regulatory office.
It is understood that Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is watching the situation very closely.
Experts from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will be in PNG from next Tuesday to March 23 to audit the work of CAA.
Similar audits by ICAO had resulted in Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda, and Egyptian Airlines being prevented from flying to several countries, including many in Europe, industry sources said.
“If CAA fails the audit, the worst case scenario is that Air Niugini would not be allowed to fly to Australia,” a source said.
Other smaller airlines that fly to Australia could also be affected, except Airlines PNG which operates Australian-registered aircraft that undergo stringent safety and inspection procedures.
At the centre of the controversy are two types of Russian-built helicopters operating in PNG without certification – Mil-8s and KA-32s.
They are operated by two private companies, servicing mostly resource project areas.
On Feb 6, CAA chief executive officer Joseph Kintau admitted to The National that the Mil-8s and KA-32s had been operating in PNG since 1986 without certification (P2).
CAA laws require that foreign aircraft operating in PNG must be put on the register within a year or be removed.
The National tried in vain to get Mr Kintau’s clarification on the matter last week.
Well-placed sources within the industry told The National that CAA’s safety regulator initiated a certification process with operators of the two aircraft about six years ago and, in March 2006, the two companies submitted their applications for certification but were rejected on the grounds that they did not meet PNG certification standards.
An independent overseas consultant on safety, a Kirrill Bolonkin, was also brought in to give a second opinion on the CAA findings and confirmed that the aircraft did not meet PNG standards.
The KA-32 had been subsequently grounded and is sitting at the PNG Defence Force Air Squadron base in Port Moresby.
In April 2006, the safety regulator stopped all passenger carrying operations of the Mil-8s that were used by the two operators and were only restricted to load-carrying operations provided they meet PNG’s restricted category certification requirements by last May 31.
This did not open and the operators were liable for prosecution under the Civil Aviation Act.
However, the operators allegedly obtained a letter of approval from CAA boss Mr Kintau to operate the aircraft on a commercial basis.
Sources said that letter had been extended a number of times – the most recent approval would expire this year.
Last December, Mr Kintau issued a “directive” to the safety regulator to amend the “operations specifications” to include the Mil-8 aircraft in order for them to operate.
The regulator refused to sign the amendment and instead told Mr Kintau that if he wanted it done, then he should sign it himself with the stamp of his office.
That was done and the Mil-8s were now operational despite advice to the contrary from the safety regulator.
Mr Kintau is being a very naughty boy. I wonder if the usual PNG inducement was involved here. It would not be normal if it wasn't.
