Helios / Alpha Air
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Pressure from the Helios crash victims' families continues to be applied on the Cypriot CAA and on the government regarding the Helios rebranding issue. Below is a follow-up article on the current status of the matter published today by the Cyprus Mail online edition.
Name change won’t save Helios if guilty
By Elias Hazou
AJET, the successor airline to disaster-stricken Helios, will not get off scot-free if the probe into last August’s crash finds the company liable, no matter under what name it is flying, the government has pledged.
The assurances came as debate continued to rage yesterday over whether the airline’s change of name to ajet might exonerate it from blame for the tragedy that cost the lives of 121 people.
A furore erupted last month when it was revealed that a new company, ajet, had applied to Civil Aviation for a licence and would be using the assets and flight code of Helios. The company had also applied for an Air Operator’s License (AOC) to operate as a charter airline.
Helios says it had long contemplated changing its business model and denied this was a ploy to evade justice. And it cited corporate law, according to which ultimately, any liability claims are guaranteed by Helios’ insurers.
Ajet’s AOC application is now pending with Civil Aviation, which has asked the Attorney-general’s office for a legal opinion.
In the meantime, Helios’ aircraft are flying under the ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
This has further upset the victims’ relatives, who see the airline’s moves as being in bad taste and also worry about the safety of the ‘new’ company.
When the affair surfaced a month ago, authorities seemed baffled as to what Helios was and was not allowed to do, inadvertently feeding speculation that a cover-up was in the works.
Gradually, however, it emerged that the government was simply going through its paces.
Even yesterday Transport Minister Harris Thrasou was unwilling to commit to a clear answer, saying it was up to the AG to decide whether ajet could fly as a charter carrier.
Asked on CyBC radio about the mix-up with the names, flights codes and so forth, Thrasou offered:
“There is no similar precedent in Cyprus…we’re new at this.”
But he said the switch of names per se was not the real issue at stake.
His sentiments were echoed by government spokesman George Lillikas, who told reporters that the Registrar of Companies had no choice but to accept Helios’ application to be renamed to ajet.
“We need to realise in Cyprus that we have laws, and that these laws cannot be interpreted differently by different agencies
“In the event the [crash] probe is damning on the airline, it shall be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, irrespective of what name it carries. If the company is found to be liable, its planes will be grounded,” added Lillikas.
“There is no possibility of the airline getting away with it, so to speak.”
But Elias Pavlakis, a lawyer representing the bereaved relatives, was far from reassured.
He said that for a new AOC to be issued, a series of control procedures had to be carried out, irrespective of whether the airline applying already had all the necessary infrastructure and organisation in place.
“Also, the name of the airline – in this case ajet – is always the first item to appear on an AOC,” he said.
Moreover, Pavlakis cited ICAO’s (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Safety Oversight Manual, according to which any airline with a crash record should undergo all checks from scratch.
In other words, whether or not Helios operated under the name of ajet, the carrier should have been subjected to the scrutiny of civil aviation authorities.
“I therefore can’t understand why – and under what regulations – would the Republic of Cyprus be willing to take the risk of allowing Helios to fly under a different name, and this even before the crash investigation has been completed?”
The inquiry into the causes of the disaster, due out in early summer, is likely to find fault with all the involved agencies, including Civil Aviation and Helios.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Name change won’t save Helios if guilty
By Elias Hazou
AJET, the successor airline to disaster-stricken Helios, will not get off scot-free if the probe into last August’s crash finds the company liable, no matter under what name it is flying, the government has pledged.
The assurances came as debate continued to rage yesterday over whether the airline’s change of name to ajet might exonerate it from blame for the tragedy that cost the lives of 121 people.
A furore erupted last month when it was revealed that a new company, ajet, had applied to Civil Aviation for a licence and would be using the assets and flight code of Helios. The company had also applied for an Air Operator’s License (AOC) to operate as a charter airline.
Helios says it had long contemplated changing its business model and denied this was a ploy to evade justice. And it cited corporate law, according to which ultimately, any liability claims are guaranteed by Helios’ insurers.
Ajet’s AOC application is now pending with Civil Aviation, which has asked the Attorney-general’s office for a legal opinion.
In the meantime, Helios’ aircraft are flying under the ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
This has further upset the victims’ relatives, who see the airline’s moves as being in bad taste and also worry about the safety of the ‘new’ company.
When the affair surfaced a month ago, authorities seemed baffled as to what Helios was and was not allowed to do, inadvertently feeding speculation that a cover-up was in the works.
Gradually, however, it emerged that the government was simply going through its paces.
Even yesterday Transport Minister Harris Thrasou was unwilling to commit to a clear answer, saying it was up to the AG to decide whether ajet could fly as a charter carrier.
Asked on CyBC radio about the mix-up with the names, flights codes and so forth, Thrasou offered:
“There is no similar precedent in Cyprus…we’re new at this.”
But he said the switch of names per se was not the real issue at stake.
His sentiments were echoed by government spokesman George Lillikas, who told reporters that the Registrar of Companies had no choice but to accept Helios’ application to be renamed to ajet.
“We need to realise in Cyprus that we have laws, and that these laws cannot be interpreted differently by different agencies
“In the event the [crash] probe is damning on the airline, it shall be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, irrespective of what name it carries. If the company is found to be liable, its planes will be grounded,” added Lillikas.
“There is no possibility of the airline getting away with it, so to speak.”
But Elias Pavlakis, a lawyer representing the bereaved relatives, was far from reassured.
He said that for a new AOC to be issued, a series of control procedures had to be carried out, irrespective of whether the airline applying already had all the necessary infrastructure and organisation in place.
“Also, the name of the airline – in this case ajet – is always the first item to appear on an AOC,” he said.
Moreover, Pavlakis cited ICAO’s (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Safety Oversight Manual, according to which any airline with a crash record should undergo all checks from scratch.
In other words, whether or not Helios operated under the name of ajet, the carrier should have been subjected to the scrutiny of civil aviation authorities.
“I therefore can’t understand why – and under what regulations – would the Republic of Cyprus be willing to take the risk of allowing Helios to fly under a different name, and this even before the crash investigation has been completed?”
The inquiry into the causes of the disaster, due out in early summer, is likely to find fault with all the involved agencies, including Civil Aviation and Helios.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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I understand that XL or as we know it, Excel Airways are taking one of two Helios 737-800's on lease this summer.
GOXLB Boeing B738 5BDBH Acquired provisionally 01 May 06- 01 Nov 06
GOXLB Boeing B738 5BDBH Acquired provisionally 01 May 06- 01 Nov 06
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Here's a follow-up to yesterday's article by the Cyprus Mail. I must say that I appreciate their journalistic efforts in keeping this matter in the public eye. Sometimes we need another watchdog to watch the watchdogs!
Report looks into Civil Aviation role in Helios name change
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority came under fire yesterday after it was indicated in a ministry report that some aviation officials had underhandedly nudged forward Ajet’s licence application.
There has been a public outcry and political debate recently over whether Helios’ change of name to Ajet might exonerate it from blame for the tragedy that cost the lives of 121 people, who perished in the Grammatikos Helios air crash of August, 2005.
According to CyBC sources, the report took an in-depth look into whether Civil Aviation handled the license application for Ajet by the book or if favouritism had been shown during the procedure.
But signs did not looking good for some Civil Aviation personnel, according to CyBC which added that the report could very well end up in the hands of Attorney-general, Petros Klerides. The report, however, is not based on hard facts but rather a summary of what went on during Helios’ application.
Communications Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday received the lengthy report, believed to be anywhere between 250 and 300 pages, from the Communications Ministry Permanent Secretary Makis Constantinides.
The minister yesterday refrained from commenting on the report saying that “he hadn’t finished reviewing it.”
There has been confusion among many in recent days after Helios’ decision to fly their aircraft under the Ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
But in any case, government officials have promised that the successor airline to Helios will not get off scot-free if the probe into last August’s crash finds the company liable, no matter under what name it is flying.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Report looks into Civil Aviation role in Helios name change
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority came under fire yesterday after it was indicated in a ministry report that some aviation officials had underhandedly nudged forward Ajet’s licence application.
There has been a public outcry and political debate recently over whether Helios’ change of name to Ajet might exonerate it from blame for the tragedy that cost the lives of 121 people, who perished in the Grammatikos Helios air crash of August, 2005.
According to CyBC sources, the report took an in-depth look into whether Civil Aviation handled the license application for Ajet by the book or if favouritism had been shown during the procedure.
But signs did not looking good for some Civil Aviation personnel, according to CyBC which added that the report could very well end up in the hands of Attorney-general, Petros Klerides. The report, however, is not based on hard facts but rather a summary of what went on during Helios’ application.
Communications Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday received the lengthy report, believed to be anywhere between 250 and 300 pages, from the Communications Ministry Permanent Secretary Makis Constantinides.
The minister yesterday refrained from commenting on the report saying that “he hadn’t finished reviewing it.”
There has been confusion among many in recent days after Helios’ decision to fly their aircraft under the Ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
But in any case, government officials have promised that the successor airline to Helios will not get off scot-free if the probe into last August’s crash finds the company liable, no matter under what name it is flying.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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Double articles today from the Cyprus Mail online edition. Of course, all of this is about money, but if that leads to safety reforms (see new thread started today regarding the revamping of the Cypriot Aviation Authority), then I say hats off to the media for keeping this issue in the public eye.
Pressure from the tour operators?
By Jean Christou
VARYING reports have surfaced in the tourism industry as to what is behind Libra’s push to rename Helios Airways as ajet.
Clearly, when an airline is involved in an accident, there can be an impetus to change name to try and salvage what business a company might have left.
Speculation is rife as to whether the airline, which brings in a substantial 250,000 tourists to Cyprus, has come under pressure from jittery tour operators. However, many in the industry say this is not strictly correct.
“Certainly, we want everything about this company to be cleared up as soon as possible,” said an official industry source. “We don’t want any question marks either about names or about changing status or who is responsible and who is not. It’s not good for tourism. We want clear answers from everyone.”
The source admitted that although Helios was a significant player in the industry and important for Cyprus tourism, the issue of the families of the victims was also very important. “That’s why government officials don’t say much. They might be scared of the reactions.”
As far as foreign tour operator go, the source said that they also would like to see the status of Helios-ajet clarified, although he denied reports of actual pressure on the airline by tour operators.
“They have business with them, they have plans with them and they have contracts with them and they are just asking for a clear picture of the situation,” he added.
Noel Josephides, vice chairman of the UK-based Association of Greek Cypriot Travel Agents (AGTA) said there had been no pressure on Helios from any operator.
“In England, everyone forgot what happened after about two weeks. Once the publicity died down that was it,” he said. “We all carried on booking Helios.”
However, Josephides believed the aftermath of the last year’s crash had been very badly handled, both by the government and by the airline itself, something he put down to lack of experience.
“We found the media frenzy that followed it just insane and badly informed. People just came out and said anything they liked,” he said.
“But there’s absolutely no pressure from UK operators for Helios to change its name.”
Josephides said he did not see why the company needed to change its name. “Helios was a better known name and a lot of time was spent in building up that name. Tour operators probably prefer the old name remained. Certainly no one from Greece and Cyprus will forget or perhaps want to fly, but I put the blame for this on the bad handling in the aftermath by the authorities, the press and management of the company itself due to inexperience,” he added.
Josephides said people had forgotten it was Helios that had sparked the dramatic fall in fares that Cyprus had seen in recent years, which led Cyprus Airways to follow.
“Helios was the pioneer in creating a no-frills sector for Cyprus and completely transformed the way tourism worked, so to damn the airline is very wrong. I understand the emotional part, but this airline did an enormous amount to transform tourism flow to Cyprus,” he said.
But times continue to be difficult for the airline. Sources close to the company say they are at a loss to understand why such a fuss has been created over the name change.
“The company has lost two contracts and is currently seeking to substitute that business. Helios brings in 235,000 tourists into Cyprus, but it seems the government doesn’t understand or want to understand this aspect,” said the source.
“This has tremendous financial implications. There is more demand than supply in the airline business at the moment and in the slots that Helios had,” the source added, saying that the airline had sold three of its slots, one each in Norway and France and one in Amsterdam.
“Damage is not only being done to the airline itself but to the island as a whole. What has been lost is lost and the only reason they have been lost is because of the delay that occurred in the name change,” said the source.
“Unfortunately it seems no one is being put in the picture. This is not the first time Libra has bought a company and changed its name. It did it with Excel Airways, and by European law an airline should be able to change its name.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
----------------------------------------------------------------
Helios or ajet: much ado about nothing?
By Jean Christou
TRYING to figure out what exactly is going on with the Helios-ajet saga is a little like attempting to extract blood from the proverbial stone.
No one wants to stick their neck out for fear of upsetting someone, especially the relatives of the 121 victims of last August’s doomed Helios flight.
There is a general perception gleaned from certain media outlets that Helios is attempting to avoid its responsibilities towards the families, while the official side appears to be stalling on taking a decision on the future of the airline. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Last month, Libra Holidays Group, which owns Helios, announced the creation of a new airline named ajet, to which the assets of Helios would be transferred. Staff would also be the same. Libra said Helios would continue to exist as a legal entity to fulfill its responsibilities, but would no longer be flying.
This was greeted with a certain public outrage, particularly as the ajet launch appeared to be going ahead without having obtained the required licences from the Civil Aviation Department.
Reports then surfaced that someone in the department was pushing the ajet application forward in a hurry, and an investigation has been now been launched into those suspicions.
In the meantime, Libra changed tack and decided not to go ahead with the notion of a separate company, simply changing the name of Helios to ajet.
It was then that the complications began. The Helios livery had already been changed to reflect the ajet colours and logo, yet ticketing, flight codes and licences all say Helios.
The authorities say there is no legal reason why Helios cannot change its name to ajet at the Registrar of Companies, as this is done every day by companies all over Cyprus. The Attorney-general backed this up, so why is the issue still causing grief to the Civil Aviation Department?
“The company has changed the name. However, the procedure for an airline, because it is not just another company, is different,” said a source in the airline industry.
The source said airline manuals state quite clearly that if a company wants to change its name, it must give 30 days’ notice to civil aviation authorities, “which means that before you carry out a name change, you have to have the permission from civil aviation”.
“Civil aviation also has the responsibility to see the reason for the name change. Is it a straightforward name change? Does it affect anything in the ownership. From that point of view, it is all procedural,” the source said.
He said that once this approval was granted the airline could go to the Registrar of Companies and ask for a name change. This, he added, was the proper procedure.
“Unfortunately, this company did it the other way around. They went and changed the name first and the problem now is that ajet is flying with a certificate that says Helios Airways, but if you go into the Registrar of Companies you will not find a Helios Airways Ltd, you will find ajet Aviation Ltd.”
The source said it was likely in this case that the Registrar might not have been aware there was a different procedure for airline name changes, although the requirement is not written into law. “But they did act correctly, because they sent it to the Attorney-general and he said to go ahead because the law is such that you cannot refuse a name change of a company,” the source added.
“The problem is that within the company they should have first gone to civil aviation rather than other way around. The responsibility is also on the airline to follow the correct procedure because it is stated quite clearly.”
In defence of Helios, the source said the issue was merely procedural. “Nothing has changed from the point of view of liabilities or obligations,” he said. “The company is still the same, the shareholding is still the same. It’s just a marketing move.”
He said the issue now was of civil aviation having to decide on ‘post-name change’ permission. “But because of various reactions and the sensitivity of the case and the attempt of the airline to create another airline, that is where things stand, which has made people suspicious,” said the source.
He said civil aviation had 30 days to reply to the ‘posthumous’ Helios name-change application, which was only filed a week ago, 10 days after the airline applied to the Registrar of Companies.
“There was no reason for civil aviation to refuse if the application had been submitted to them first,” said the source. “If you have to wait for 30 days you have to wait for 30 days. You should always follow procedure to the letter so that you motives are not called into question.”
He said that if civil aviation were to say ‘no’, which would be an extreme reaction, all that would happen would be that the airline would continue as Helios, which it is already doing to all intents and purposes.
Makis Constantinides, Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry, refused to be drawn on the Helios-ajet issue. “There is a procedure through which the names are changed. The department is handling the situation and it’s their decision. They are following procedures and will come up with a solution,” he said.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Pressure from the tour operators?
By Jean Christou
VARYING reports have surfaced in the tourism industry as to what is behind Libra’s push to rename Helios Airways as ajet.
Clearly, when an airline is involved in an accident, there can be an impetus to change name to try and salvage what business a company might have left.
Speculation is rife as to whether the airline, which brings in a substantial 250,000 tourists to Cyprus, has come under pressure from jittery tour operators. However, many in the industry say this is not strictly correct.
“Certainly, we want everything about this company to be cleared up as soon as possible,” said an official industry source. “We don’t want any question marks either about names or about changing status or who is responsible and who is not. It’s not good for tourism. We want clear answers from everyone.”
The source admitted that although Helios was a significant player in the industry and important for Cyprus tourism, the issue of the families of the victims was also very important. “That’s why government officials don’t say much. They might be scared of the reactions.”
As far as foreign tour operator go, the source said that they also would like to see the status of Helios-ajet clarified, although he denied reports of actual pressure on the airline by tour operators.
“They have business with them, they have plans with them and they have contracts with them and they are just asking for a clear picture of the situation,” he added.
Noel Josephides, vice chairman of the UK-based Association of Greek Cypriot Travel Agents (AGTA) said there had been no pressure on Helios from any operator.
“In England, everyone forgot what happened after about two weeks. Once the publicity died down that was it,” he said. “We all carried on booking Helios.”
However, Josephides believed the aftermath of the last year’s crash had been very badly handled, both by the government and by the airline itself, something he put down to lack of experience.
“We found the media frenzy that followed it just insane and badly informed. People just came out and said anything they liked,” he said.
“But there’s absolutely no pressure from UK operators for Helios to change its name.”
Josephides said he did not see why the company needed to change its name. “Helios was a better known name and a lot of time was spent in building up that name. Tour operators probably prefer the old name remained. Certainly no one from Greece and Cyprus will forget or perhaps want to fly, but I put the blame for this on the bad handling in the aftermath by the authorities, the press and management of the company itself due to inexperience,” he added.
Josephides said people had forgotten it was Helios that had sparked the dramatic fall in fares that Cyprus had seen in recent years, which led Cyprus Airways to follow.
“Helios was the pioneer in creating a no-frills sector for Cyprus and completely transformed the way tourism worked, so to damn the airline is very wrong. I understand the emotional part, but this airline did an enormous amount to transform tourism flow to Cyprus,” he said.
But times continue to be difficult for the airline. Sources close to the company say they are at a loss to understand why such a fuss has been created over the name change.
“The company has lost two contracts and is currently seeking to substitute that business. Helios brings in 235,000 tourists into Cyprus, but it seems the government doesn’t understand or want to understand this aspect,” said the source.
“This has tremendous financial implications. There is more demand than supply in the airline business at the moment and in the slots that Helios had,” the source added, saying that the airline had sold three of its slots, one each in Norway and France and one in Amsterdam.
“Damage is not only being done to the airline itself but to the island as a whole. What has been lost is lost and the only reason they have been lost is because of the delay that occurred in the name change,” said the source.
“Unfortunately it seems no one is being put in the picture. This is not the first time Libra has bought a company and changed its name. It did it with Excel Airways, and by European law an airline should be able to change its name.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
----------------------------------------------------------------
Helios or ajet: much ado about nothing?
By Jean Christou
TRYING to figure out what exactly is going on with the Helios-ajet saga is a little like attempting to extract blood from the proverbial stone.
No one wants to stick their neck out for fear of upsetting someone, especially the relatives of the 121 victims of last August’s doomed Helios flight.
There is a general perception gleaned from certain media outlets that Helios is attempting to avoid its responsibilities towards the families, while the official side appears to be stalling on taking a decision on the future of the airline. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Last month, Libra Holidays Group, which owns Helios, announced the creation of a new airline named ajet, to which the assets of Helios would be transferred. Staff would also be the same. Libra said Helios would continue to exist as a legal entity to fulfill its responsibilities, but would no longer be flying.
This was greeted with a certain public outrage, particularly as the ajet launch appeared to be going ahead without having obtained the required licences from the Civil Aviation Department.
Reports then surfaced that someone in the department was pushing the ajet application forward in a hurry, and an investigation has been now been launched into those suspicions.
In the meantime, Libra changed tack and decided not to go ahead with the notion of a separate company, simply changing the name of Helios to ajet.
It was then that the complications began. The Helios livery had already been changed to reflect the ajet colours and logo, yet ticketing, flight codes and licences all say Helios.
The authorities say there is no legal reason why Helios cannot change its name to ajet at the Registrar of Companies, as this is done every day by companies all over Cyprus. The Attorney-general backed this up, so why is the issue still causing grief to the Civil Aviation Department?
“The company has changed the name. However, the procedure for an airline, because it is not just another company, is different,” said a source in the airline industry.
The source said airline manuals state quite clearly that if a company wants to change its name, it must give 30 days’ notice to civil aviation authorities, “which means that before you carry out a name change, you have to have the permission from civil aviation”.
“Civil aviation also has the responsibility to see the reason for the name change. Is it a straightforward name change? Does it affect anything in the ownership. From that point of view, it is all procedural,” the source said.
He said that once this approval was granted the airline could go to the Registrar of Companies and ask for a name change. This, he added, was the proper procedure.
“Unfortunately, this company did it the other way around. They went and changed the name first and the problem now is that ajet is flying with a certificate that says Helios Airways, but if you go into the Registrar of Companies you will not find a Helios Airways Ltd, you will find ajet Aviation Ltd.”
The source said it was likely in this case that the Registrar might not have been aware there was a different procedure for airline name changes, although the requirement is not written into law. “But they did act correctly, because they sent it to the Attorney-general and he said to go ahead because the law is such that you cannot refuse a name change of a company,” the source added.
“The problem is that within the company they should have first gone to civil aviation rather than other way around. The responsibility is also on the airline to follow the correct procedure because it is stated quite clearly.”
In defence of Helios, the source said the issue was merely procedural. “Nothing has changed from the point of view of liabilities or obligations,” he said. “The company is still the same, the shareholding is still the same. It’s just a marketing move.”
He said the issue now was of civil aviation having to decide on ‘post-name change’ permission. “But because of various reactions and the sensitivity of the case and the attempt of the airline to create another airline, that is where things stand, which has made people suspicious,” said the source.
He said civil aviation had 30 days to reply to the ‘posthumous’ Helios name-change application, which was only filed a week ago, 10 days after the airline applied to the Registrar of Companies.
“There was no reason for civil aviation to refuse if the application had been submitted to them first,” said the source. “If you have to wait for 30 days you have to wait for 30 days. You should always follow procedure to the letter so that you motives are not called into question.”
He said that if civil aviation were to say ‘no’, which would be an extreme reaction, all that would happen would be that the airline would continue as Helios, which it is already doing to all intents and purposes.
Makis Constantinides, Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry, refused to be drawn on the Helios-ajet issue. “There is a procedure through which the names are changed. The department is handling the situation and it’s their decision. They are following procedures and will come up with a solution,” he said.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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I know that this is a very emotive issue still in Cyprus, and in some way the media helps + sometimes it's aim is to senationalise to sell copies.
I would have thought the only way Helios could servive is by a re-brand. It would seem more logical to allow the carrier to survive than go bankrupt and all those "griving" relations/friends losing the possibility of compensation.
I would have thought the only way Helios could servive is by a re-brand. It would seem more logical to allow the carrier to survive than go bankrupt and all those "griving" relations/friends losing the possibility of compensation.
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Here's some current news on the rebranding issue with regard to the very prickly relationship between the government and the victims' families. This from today's Cyprus Mail online edition.
Minister denies ‘ironic letter’ to Helios relatives
By John Leonidou
THE HELIOS Victims Relatives Committee yesterday accused Communications Minister Haris Thrasou of not taking them seriously.
The head of the committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, insisted yesterday that correct procedures were not followed by the Civil Aviation Department, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Communications, in the decision to allow Helios Airways to change the airline name to ajet.
Thrasou yesterday defended Civil Aviation, saying it was not even his department which allowed the name change and that their anger should be directed elsewhere.
Clearly annoyed, Yiasoumis told state radio: “We would like to know what these procedures were exactly so we can put an end, once and for all, to this situation and see the exact truth behind what happened.
“We were surprised to see that the Minister, in his letter sent to us, was being ironic to the committee and its advisers, saying we had not given the Ministry our own people to look into the matter,” said Yiasoumis.
He added he would request that the legal opinion of the Attorney-general on the matter be made public, so his committee could see “what has been followed by the book and what has not been followed by the book.”
“Why was the Ministry requesting that we should send our own people to review if the procedure was followed correctly?” said Yiasoumis.
“Is the Ministry itself unable to carry out and interpret international regulations on matters like these? The Attorney-general himself had said that this matter was clearly a matter for Civil Aviation and the Minister is telling us that we should be turning our views to the Attorney-general. Does the Minister think that the Helios Relatives Committee is a ‘ping-pong’ ball that can bounced from one end to the other and be mocked?
“There are certain matters and events that have happened which are troubling us and we call on the Ministry to tell us exactly what the Attorney-general said.”
Thrasou replied that he had been informed by Civil Aviation that the instructions of the Attorney-general had been followed correctly.
He added he would make public all the correspondence between himself, the Attorney-general and the Civil Aviation department. He then called on the relatives committee to inform him in which areas they believed the correct procedures had not been followed.
“I have been informed by Civil Aviation that the correct procedures have been followed but that the legal advisers of the relatives’ committee disagree with that assumption. Is it ironic for me to ask what areas they do not agree with? If they say that some procedures are not being conducted properly then tell us which areas they are.
“Is it instead correct to go on the air and slam the changing of the name, which was not even done by us but by another state service? Even the Civil Aviation has not yet approved the name change and is still reviewing the request for the changing of the name in order for the appropriate licences to be granted. No such approval has been given yet.”
The state service which allowed the name change was the Registrar of Companies, which comes under the Commerce Ministry, which did so after first checking with Attorney-general Petros Clerides.
Clerides said yesterday he had absolutely no problems giving his legal opinion to the relatives’ committee. He added that the main issue should not be the change of the airline name but whether air safety has been compromised by the name change.
“I will give my legal opinion to them and I have no problem with that. The legal services have nothing to hide”, said Clerides.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Minister denies ‘ironic letter’ to Helios relatives
By John Leonidou
THE HELIOS Victims Relatives Committee yesterday accused Communications Minister Haris Thrasou of not taking them seriously.
The head of the committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, insisted yesterday that correct procedures were not followed by the Civil Aviation Department, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Communications, in the decision to allow Helios Airways to change the airline name to ajet.
Thrasou yesterday defended Civil Aviation, saying it was not even his department which allowed the name change and that their anger should be directed elsewhere.
Clearly annoyed, Yiasoumis told state radio: “We would like to know what these procedures were exactly so we can put an end, once and for all, to this situation and see the exact truth behind what happened.
“We were surprised to see that the Minister, in his letter sent to us, was being ironic to the committee and its advisers, saying we had not given the Ministry our own people to look into the matter,” said Yiasoumis.
He added he would request that the legal opinion of the Attorney-general on the matter be made public, so his committee could see “what has been followed by the book and what has not been followed by the book.”
“Why was the Ministry requesting that we should send our own people to review if the procedure was followed correctly?” said Yiasoumis.
“Is the Ministry itself unable to carry out and interpret international regulations on matters like these? The Attorney-general himself had said that this matter was clearly a matter for Civil Aviation and the Minister is telling us that we should be turning our views to the Attorney-general. Does the Minister think that the Helios Relatives Committee is a ‘ping-pong’ ball that can bounced from one end to the other and be mocked?
“There are certain matters and events that have happened which are troubling us and we call on the Ministry to tell us exactly what the Attorney-general said.”
Thrasou replied that he had been informed by Civil Aviation that the instructions of the Attorney-general had been followed correctly.
He added he would make public all the correspondence between himself, the Attorney-general and the Civil Aviation department. He then called on the relatives committee to inform him in which areas they believed the correct procedures had not been followed.
“I have been informed by Civil Aviation that the correct procedures have been followed but that the legal advisers of the relatives’ committee disagree with that assumption. Is it ironic for me to ask what areas they do not agree with? If they say that some procedures are not being conducted properly then tell us which areas they are.
“Is it instead correct to go on the air and slam the changing of the name, which was not even done by us but by another state service? Even the Civil Aviation has not yet approved the name change and is still reviewing the request for the changing of the name in order for the appropriate licences to be granted. No such approval has been given yet.”
The state service which allowed the name change was the Registrar of Companies, which comes under the Commerce Ministry, which did so after first checking with Attorney-general Petros Clerides.
Clerides said yesterday he had absolutely no problems giving his legal opinion to the relatives’ committee. He added that the main issue should not be the change of the airline name but whether air safety has been compromised by the name change.
“I will give my legal opinion to them and I have no problem with that. The legal services have nothing to hide”, said Clerides.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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Here's a bit of news on the latest situation with the rebranding, courtesy of the Cyprus Mail Internet edition.
Probe into ajet test flight
By Jean Christou
TRANSPORT Minister Haris Thrasou has ordered a disciplinary probe into how ajet Aviation, formerly Helios Airways believed it had received permission from Civil Aviation to carry out a test flight last March before approval of a name change.
Speaking at Larnaca Airport yesterday on his way to Athens for a shipping conference, Thrasou said that the disciplinary enquiry would focus on two senior Civil Aviation officials.
He said that the incident had been investigated by Makis Constantinides, the permanent secretary of his ministry and found cause to seek the advice of the Attorney-general.
"We sent the conclusions of the administrative investigation to the public prosecutor and following his opinion I have ordered a disciplinary probe against two senior officials from the Civil Aviation Department,” said Thrasou.
He said the probe would focus on the procedures that were followed when the ajet application for a charter licence was being examined by the department.
In March news broke that ajet had secured permission to carry out a “proving flight,” a necessary step to establishing the airworthiness of an airline before being granted a licence. Civil Aviation permission is needed for such test flight.
If the test flight had gone ahead, ajet would have received an AOC (Air Operator’s Licence). But to commence actual operations, it would then also need a commercial license.
The flight had been scheduled for Thursday March 16, but just two days earlier ajet received word from civil aviation that their request for the test flight was denied. According to ajet, the Civil Aviation did not explain why, with one official telling the company the flight was cancelled “for other reasons he could not disclose.”
That development immediately followed the media coverage of ajet’s intended launch, raising suspicion that authorities – who up until then had been in cahoots with the airline – were now covering their tracks because of the public backlash.
Thrasou stepped in and cancelled the flight at the last minute.
Documents showed that civil aviation approved the test flight as far back as March 7 but had only sought the advice of the Attorney-general on March 9, after the date of the originally scheduled test flight.
Ultimately and amid fierce controversy ajet withdrew its application for a new licence and instead Helios sought, and recently received permission for a name change to ajet.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Probe into ajet test flight
By Jean Christou
TRANSPORT Minister Haris Thrasou has ordered a disciplinary probe into how ajet Aviation, formerly Helios Airways believed it had received permission from Civil Aviation to carry out a test flight last March before approval of a name change.
Speaking at Larnaca Airport yesterday on his way to Athens for a shipping conference, Thrasou said that the disciplinary enquiry would focus on two senior Civil Aviation officials.
He said that the incident had been investigated by Makis Constantinides, the permanent secretary of his ministry and found cause to seek the advice of the Attorney-general.
"We sent the conclusions of the administrative investigation to the public prosecutor and following his opinion I have ordered a disciplinary probe against two senior officials from the Civil Aviation Department,” said Thrasou.
He said the probe would focus on the procedures that were followed when the ajet application for a charter licence was being examined by the department.
In March news broke that ajet had secured permission to carry out a “proving flight,” a necessary step to establishing the airworthiness of an airline before being granted a licence. Civil Aviation permission is needed for such test flight.
If the test flight had gone ahead, ajet would have received an AOC (Air Operator’s Licence). But to commence actual operations, it would then also need a commercial license.
The flight had been scheduled for Thursday March 16, but just two days earlier ajet received word from civil aviation that their request for the test flight was denied. According to ajet, the Civil Aviation did not explain why, with one official telling the company the flight was cancelled “for other reasons he could not disclose.”
That development immediately followed the media coverage of ajet’s intended launch, raising suspicion that authorities – who up until then had been in cahoots with the airline – were now covering their tracks because of the public backlash.
Thrasou stepped in and cancelled the flight at the last minute.
Documents showed that civil aviation approved the test flight as far back as March 7 but had only sought the advice of the Attorney-general on March 9, after the date of the originally scheduled test flight.
Ultimately and amid fierce controversy ajet withdrew its application for a new licence and instead Helios sought, and recently received permission for a name change to ajet.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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Helios/A jet
What is happening with this carrier?
Rumours are rife of being potentially blacklisted and operation moving to the UK! Also is it true that their license for operating during all manner of bad weather has been suspended.
With the airline constantly plagued by negative rumours and press, the future can't look too rosy?
Rumours are rife of being potentially blacklisted and operation moving to the UK! Also is it true that their license for operating during all manner of bad weather has been suspended.
With the airline constantly plagued by negative rumours and press, the future can't look too rosy?
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A side note: it's been reported this morning that Ajet (ex-Helios) is ceasing its flying operations in the next 3 months, according to Libra, the parent company. The report says that the company is however being maintained as a legal entity because of the outstanding claims against it.
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According to the following article in the Cyprus Mail [Tuesday, 31 October], Ajet will cease to operate entirely:
Ajet to cease flights in three months
Lawyer cites economic failure due to ‘war’ against airline
AJET, formerly known as Helios Airways, announced yesterday that it would cease all airline operations in the next three months, a move which the ajet’s legal team has emphasised does not relieve the airline of any responsibilities.
In the statement, the airline assured all booked passengers that their tickets would not be affected, as all scheduled flights would take place as planned.
The announcement has prompted speculation that the decision by Libra Holidays Group to end all the flights of its subsidiary ajet is directly related to the release of the long-awaited Tsolakis investigative report into the August 2005 Helios plane crash in Grammatiko, Greece that killed all 121 passengers and crew onboard.
Although the Tsolakis report pointed primarily at pilot error as the cause of the crash, it also cited lax safety standards from Helios Airways.
Ajet’s troubles compounded when, only two days after the release of the Tsolakis report, the European Commission in an aviation safety review gave a ‘yellow card’ to ajet by placing it under heavy scrutiny and limiting its flights within the EU.
But the company’s lawyer Christos Neocleous claimed that the airline had decided to end all airline operations for purely economic reasons due to a “war” that had been waged against the company.
“The company cannot manage anymore,” Neocleous said. “Due to this war that it has endured from all sectors of Cypriot society, it cannot survive any longer to pay the costs of maintaining a flight programme, along with its obligations to its employees and co-operators.”
“It [ajet] did not have the slightest help. It was merely mocked and blackmailed, and faced the worst kind of war it could face.”
Neocleous also insisted that the ending of its flights in no way affected any of the company’s legal obligations to the relatives of the Helios crash victims that might arise on completion of any investigations in Cyprus and Greece.
The independent Helios committee, chaired by Panayiotis Kallis, is investigating the accident in parallel with a criminal investigation by the Cyprus police. On October 22 an Athens public prosecutor launched criminal proceedings.
Neocleous also noted that ajet has pending cases against third parties and so the company would remain as a registered company in the company registrar of the Cyprus Republic. “If you look at it in trade terms, it is not in the company’s interest to close completely.”
In its announcement ajet declared that all scheduled flights “will be performed as normal and passengers booked on ajet flights will not be affected”, adding that no reconfirmation of booked travel arrangements is necessary and that new reservations can still be made “since all scheduled flights will be completed”.
The ajet board will decide at a later date how to offload the two aircraft that the airline presently leases.
According to Neocleous, efforts are underway by ajet representatives so that no ajet personnel remain without work, and contacts have been made with collaborating companies to “absorb personnel that for one year now have stood beside the airline.”
“But aside from that, the staff will be compensated according to the terms of their contracts,” Neocleous added.
Communications and Works Minister Harris Thrasou told reporters yesterday that neither the Communications Ministry, nor Civil Aviation had been informed of ajet’s decision to end all flights within three months.
Thrasou said that ajet could not escape any responsibilities by terminating its flights, a view echoed in statements by Loizos Papacharalambous, the lawyer representing the victims and relatives of the Helios crash.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Ajet to cease flights in three months
Lawyer cites economic failure due to ‘war’ against airline
AJET, formerly known as Helios Airways, announced yesterday that it would cease all airline operations in the next three months, a move which the ajet’s legal team has emphasised does not relieve the airline of any responsibilities.
In the statement, the airline assured all booked passengers that their tickets would not be affected, as all scheduled flights would take place as planned.
The announcement has prompted speculation that the decision by Libra Holidays Group to end all the flights of its subsidiary ajet is directly related to the release of the long-awaited Tsolakis investigative report into the August 2005 Helios plane crash in Grammatiko, Greece that killed all 121 passengers and crew onboard.
Although the Tsolakis report pointed primarily at pilot error as the cause of the crash, it also cited lax safety standards from Helios Airways.
Ajet’s troubles compounded when, only two days after the release of the Tsolakis report, the European Commission in an aviation safety review gave a ‘yellow card’ to ajet by placing it under heavy scrutiny and limiting its flights within the EU.
But the company’s lawyer Christos Neocleous claimed that the airline had decided to end all airline operations for purely economic reasons due to a “war” that had been waged against the company.
“The company cannot manage anymore,” Neocleous said. “Due to this war that it has endured from all sectors of Cypriot society, it cannot survive any longer to pay the costs of maintaining a flight programme, along with its obligations to its employees and co-operators.”
“It [ajet] did not have the slightest help. It was merely mocked and blackmailed, and faced the worst kind of war it could face.”
Neocleous also insisted that the ending of its flights in no way affected any of the company’s legal obligations to the relatives of the Helios crash victims that might arise on completion of any investigations in Cyprus and Greece.
The independent Helios committee, chaired by Panayiotis Kallis, is investigating the accident in parallel with a criminal investigation by the Cyprus police. On October 22 an Athens public prosecutor launched criminal proceedings.
Neocleous also noted that ajet has pending cases against third parties and so the company would remain as a registered company in the company registrar of the Cyprus Republic. “If you look at it in trade terms, it is not in the company’s interest to close completely.”
In its announcement ajet declared that all scheduled flights “will be performed as normal and passengers booked on ajet flights will not be affected”, adding that no reconfirmation of booked travel arrangements is necessary and that new reservations can still be made “since all scheduled flights will be completed”.
The ajet board will decide at a later date how to offload the two aircraft that the airline presently leases.
According to Neocleous, efforts are underway by ajet representatives so that no ajet personnel remain without work, and contacts have been made with collaborating companies to “absorb personnel that for one year now have stood beside the airline.”
“But aside from that, the staff will be compensated according to the terms of their contracts,” Neocleous added.
Communications and Works Minister Harris Thrasou told reporters yesterday that neither the Communications Ministry, nor Civil Aviation had been informed of ajet’s decision to end all flights within three months.
Thrasou said that ajet could not escape any responsibilities by terminating its flights, a view echoed in statements by Loizos Papacharalambous, the lawyer representing the victims and relatives of the Helios crash.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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Helios-Successor to stop operations
Hello Guys,
just FYI:
After all the discussions, negative press etc. AJET, the successor of HELIOS will discontinue operations as of January.
This information was just published in the german newspaper FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND (Online).
Rumours state that the management tries to avoid being sued for the Crash near Athens last summer by liqidation of the firm.
Regards
just FYI:
After all the discussions, negative press etc. AJET, the successor of HELIOS will discontinue operations as of January.
This information was just published in the german newspaper FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND (Online).
Rumours state that the management tries to avoid being sued for the Crash near Athens last summer by liqidation of the firm.
Regards
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Helios/Ajet to stop flying
This was on the news yestersday, an inevitable conclusion I suppose, and very sad to those who fly there.
October 30, 2006
A Cypriot commercial airline, which changed its name after Cyprus's worst aviation disaster, said it would terminate flight operations.
AJet, successor company to Helios Airways, will end its flight schedule within three months, said holding company Libra Holidays in a statement released to the stock exchange on Monday.
Libra said the decision was based on financial considerations. AJet will remain a legal entity because of financial claims against third parties, it said.
The carrier has suffered a barrage of bad publicity over its safety track record since its Boeing 737-300 crashed into a Greek hillside on August 14, 2005, killing all 121 people on board.
In one of the most mysterious disasters in aviation history, the aircraft flew on autopilot for more than two hours after taking off from Larnaca in Cyprus for Prague. It crashed from lack of fuel as a flight attendant with rudimentary pilot's training and the only person apparently conscious on the aircraft grappled with the controls.
Greek F-16 fighter pilots, which scrambled to intercept the aircraft after it failed to respond to radio calls, saw the attendant in the cockpit and oxygen masks hanging in the cabin.
A Greek investigator's report released in early October blamed the crash on deficient technical checks, the pilots' failure to pick up on compression warnings regulating oxygen supplies and shortcomings in the safety culture at Helios.
It also blamed Cyprus's regulatory authority for an inadequate execution of its oversight responsibility and planemaker Boeing for failing to respond to previous pressurization incidents.
The carrier has challenged the report, saying it offered no adequate or plausible explanation of how its alleged shortcomings could be linked to the accident.
(Reuters)
October 30, 2006
A Cypriot commercial airline, which changed its name after Cyprus's worst aviation disaster, said it would terminate flight operations.
AJet, successor company to Helios Airways, will end its flight schedule within three months, said holding company Libra Holidays in a statement released to the stock exchange on Monday.
Libra said the decision was based on financial considerations. AJet will remain a legal entity because of financial claims against third parties, it said.
The carrier has suffered a barrage of bad publicity over its safety track record since its Boeing 737-300 crashed into a Greek hillside on August 14, 2005, killing all 121 people on board.
In one of the most mysterious disasters in aviation history, the aircraft flew on autopilot for more than two hours after taking off from Larnaca in Cyprus for Prague. It crashed from lack of fuel as a flight attendant with rudimentary pilot's training and the only person apparently conscious on the aircraft grappled with the controls.
Greek F-16 fighter pilots, which scrambled to intercept the aircraft after it failed to respond to radio calls, saw the attendant in the cockpit and oxygen masks hanging in the cabin.
A Greek investigator's report released in early October blamed the crash on deficient technical checks, the pilots' failure to pick up on compression warnings regulating oxygen supplies and shortcomings in the safety culture at Helios.
It also blamed Cyprus's regulatory authority for an inadequate execution of its oversight responsibility and planemaker Boeing for failing to respond to previous pressurization incidents.
The carrier has challenged the report, saying it offered no adequate or plausible explanation of how its alleged shortcomings could be linked to the accident.
(Reuters)
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Today's Cyprus Mail covers the continued legal wrangling [by the way, the court's decision in Chicago, regarding the venue, has not yet been handed down]:
Ajet: we’re not dodging justice
By Elias Hazou
RELATIVES of the Helios air crash victims warned yesterday that any attempt by the airline to shirk its responsibilities would be futile.
The warning came a day after Helios, now known as ajet, announced it was ceasing all airline operations within the next three months.
Nicolas Yiasoumis, spokesman for the relatives, regarded the move with suspicion.
“Our lawyers are monitoring this closely, and we shall intervene where and if necessary. Any effort [by the airline] to make money out of this, to tread over dead bodies, shall not come to pass,” he said.
Apart from the accident, ajet’s troubles got worse when, only two days after the release of the Tsolakis report, the European Commission in an aviation safety review gave it a ‘yellow card’ by placing it under heavy scrutiny and limiting its flights within the EU.
Despite this, it was clear that even by the August 14 anniversary of the crash, Helios, the pioneer no-frills airline in Cyprus, was finished as far as the Cypriot public was concerned.
The airline dropped its Athens route immediately after the crash, and finally handed back its Heathrow slot in the middle of January this year. It had kept its hard-won slot at Luton, but dealt mainly in charter seats and online bookings for the British market.
Christos Neocleous, lawyer and spokesman for the embattled airline, told the Mail yesterday that continued operation was “no longer feasible financially”.
And he blamed the “witch hunt climate” cultivated in Cyprus in the aftermath of the crash.
“The Kallis hearings were a public tribunal. Anyone who had a beef with the airline came out and said terrible things about it. In the public mind, the airline was condemned.”
Neocleous said the company, a subsidiary of the Libra Holidays Group, would remain registered so that it could honour any civil liability claims with regard to the crash.
Earlier in the day, the lawyer told CyBC radio that the company’s insurers have already contacted the victims’ relatives to inform them that any compensation awarded would be paid in full.
Ajet has been at pains to show that its latest move – as well as its name change – is not aimed at dodging justice.
But the airline is not crossing its arms and simply waiting for its fate. Using the recently released accident report as a springboard, the airline is suing Boeing for manufacturing faults which they say played a major part in the disaster
The lawsuit has been filed in a Greek court, and seeks compensation of at least £30 million. The figure reportedly includes: loss of the jet, compensation for the poor reputation suffered by the airline, damages of £8 to £10 million in the wake of the accident, and compensation for the families of the victims.
Relatives are already suing Boeing in the United States for similar reasons. A Chicago court is to decide whether the hearings should be held there.
Compensation awarded in the United States is typically more substantial than in Greece or Cyprus.
Boeing has admitted its 737 series of planes suffer from design faults – highlighted in the accident report – suggesting an out-of-court settlement cannot be ruled out.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Ajet: we’re not dodging justice
By Elias Hazou
RELATIVES of the Helios air crash victims warned yesterday that any attempt by the airline to shirk its responsibilities would be futile.
The warning came a day after Helios, now known as ajet, announced it was ceasing all airline operations within the next three months.
Nicolas Yiasoumis, spokesman for the relatives, regarded the move with suspicion.
“Our lawyers are monitoring this closely, and we shall intervene where and if necessary. Any effort [by the airline] to make money out of this, to tread over dead bodies, shall not come to pass,” he said.
Apart from the accident, ajet’s troubles got worse when, only two days after the release of the Tsolakis report, the European Commission in an aviation safety review gave it a ‘yellow card’ by placing it under heavy scrutiny and limiting its flights within the EU.
Despite this, it was clear that even by the August 14 anniversary of the crash, Helios, the pioneer no-frills airline in Cyprus, was finished as far as the Cypriot public was concerned.
The airline dropped its Athens route immediately after the crash, and finally handed back its Heathrow slot in the middle of January this year. It had kept its hard-won slot at Luton, but dealt mainly in charter seats and online bookings for the British market.
Christos Neocleous, lawyer and spokesman for the embattled airline, told the Mail yesterday that continued operation was “no longer feasible financially”.
And he blamed the “witch hunt climate” cultivated in Cyprus in the aftermath of the crash.
“The Kallis hearings were a public tribunal. Anyone who had a beef with the airline came out and said terrible things about it. In the public mind, the airline was condemned.”
Neocleous said the company, a subsidiary of the Libra Holidays Group, would remain registered so that it could honour any civil liability claims with regard to the crash.
Earlier in the day, the lawyer told CyBC radio that the company’s insurers have already contacted the victims’ relatives to inform them that any compensation awarded would be paid in full.
Ajet has been at pains to show that its latest move – as well as its name change – is not aimed at dodging justice.
But the airline is not crossing its arms and simply waiting for its fate. Using the recently released accident report as a springboard, the airline is suing Boeing for manufacturing faults which they say played a major part in the disaster
The lawsuit has been filed in a Greek court, and seeks compensation of at least £30 million. The figure reportedly includes: loss of the jet, compensation for the poor reputation suffered by the airline, damages of £8 to £10 million in the wake of the accident, and compensation for the families of the victims.
Relatives are already suing Boeing in the United States for similar reasons. A Chicago court is to decide whether the hearings should be held there.
Compensation awarded in the United States is typically more substantial than in Greece or Cyprus.
Boeing has admitted its 737 series of planes suffer from design faults – highlighted in the accident report – suggesting an out-of-court settlement cannot be ruled out.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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In regard to Ajet ceasing ops, it seems as though the only way a crap airline risks losing its AOC is if it does it itself.
Don't be too hard on Cyprus for not acting. They sub-contracted all inspection and monitoring of Helios to UK CAA.
Don't be too hard on Cyprus for not acting. They sub-contracted all inspection and monitoring of Helios to UK CAA.
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Quite a few UK charter companies will now need to find a new carrier to provide flights if AJY are ceasing operations. Alot of work was carried out for Libra, aswell as Mytravel, XL, Freedom flights, Olympic etc
Shame to see an airline disappear, but it was inevitable.
Good luck to staff at AJY
Shame to see an airline disappear, but it was inevitable.
Good luck to staff at AJY
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Ajet / Helios Airways Closes
The latest on the Cypriot news is that Ajet has ceased all operations. 2 Flights from Larnaca were cancelled today, leaving all the passengers stranded. The BHX flight due to leave at 7:00 am was cancelled before the Cypriot minister for works and Communications issued a notice to Ajet at 2:00 pm.
A statement made by the minister also stated that the company owes the Republic of Cyprus a large amount of money. One leased B737-800 has been inpounded at LCA. A Eurocypria charter plane has left Cyprus tonight to take the Passengers to the UK. Apparently, noone from Ajet was available to make any comment of the todays actions. The company website has also been suspended, for "maintanance purposes".
Best of luck to the staff of Ajet, who tried to save their company after the awful event of last year.
A statement made by the minister also stated that the company owes the Republic of Cyprus a large amount of money. One leased B737-800 has been inpounded at LCA. A Eurocypria charter plane has left Cyprus tonight to take the Passengers to the UK. Apparently, noone from Ajet was available to make any comment of the todays actions. The company website has also been suspended, for "maintanance purposes".
Best of luck to the staff of Ajet, who tried to save their company after the awful event of last year.
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We have the ECA coming in about 2300 tonight with the Ajet pax on board, earlier the airport was showing the Ajet enroute for 1700 ish. Did it get called back or was the eta wishfull thinking?