Merged: Aero Tropics Grounded.
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Merged: Aero Tropics Grounded.
Can anyone confirm news I just heard from a reliable source that Aero Tropics today had their AOC pulled by CASA. If so, is this the end of another long running GA company? Hope all the guys and girls find work elsewhere and soon if the news is true.
Last edited by biton; 27th Jun 2008 at 08:31.
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If things don't go too well maybe they could just change their name to CYAS, AirSwift, Air Cairns, Norfolk, Sunbird, Uzu, Wingz North, Falcon or something like that and reapply!
definately not good for AT at the moment:
from news.com.au
Airline grounded on safety concerns | NEWS.com.au
from news.com.au
Airline grounded on safety concerns | NEWS.com.au
Airline grounded on safety concernsBy Kim Christian
June 27, 2008 09:45pm
Article from: AAPFont size: + -
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THE Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has grounded a Cairns-based airline in Queensland after it allegedly failed to meet pilot training and safety standards.
A CASA spokesman said Aero-Tropics, which flies 15 small aircraft to remote northern regions at Cape York, Thursday Island and the Torres Strait, was served with a notice to ground all aircraft at 6pm (AEST) today.
"We believe they pose a serious and imminent risk to air safety," a CASA spokesman said.
The grounding comes after a 10 month investigation into training and the checking of pilots at the airline.
"We've had an investigation going since last September into Aero-Tropics, we have found a number of deficiencies in that 10 months," the spokesman said.
"We've issued a number of notices to the airline... to make improvements and put them on notice that we were dissatisfied with their performance.
"In effect they have not improved anything and in recent days we've done more investigations and in fact found that safety standards have got worse."
He said CASA had uncovered a pattern of failures to meet the aviation safety standards within the airline.
"We've tried to work with the airline to get them to improve the standards, they've failed to do that," he said.
"That also leads us to have a lack of confidence in the management of the airline to actually treat their commitment to safety as seriously as they should."
He said the decision was not made due to any incidents with the fleet of 15 seven to 11-seater aircraft or the pilots operating them.
The airline will be grounded for at least five days.
CASA will now apply to the Federal Court for a 40 day extension to the grounding.
"Within that 40 days we have to build a case to either permanently cancel their certificate, put them on the ground permanently, or of course alternatively, the airline can build a case to say why they should be allowed to continue to fly," the spokesman said.
Air services to the region will be disrupted over the weekend and into next week.
A recorded message left on Aero-Tropics' answering machine said it would challenge the decision in the Federal Court on Monday.
"It is with great regret that I must advise the communities of the Torres Strait that we have been forced by the authorities to cancel all flights until this matter is resolved," the message said.
"It is my expectation that this matter will be tried in the immediate (future) before the Federal Court early Monday morning.
"There is a possibility that Aero-Tropics can recommence operations sometime on Monday."
June 27, 2008 09:45pm
Article from: AAPFont size: + -
Send this article: Print Email
THE Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has grounded a Cairns-based airline in Queensland after it allegedly failed to meet pilot training and safety standards.
A CASA spokesman said Aero-Tropics, which flies 15 small aircraft to remote northern regions at Cape York, Thursday Island and the Torres Strait, was served with a notice to ground all aircraft at 6pm (AEST) today.
"We believe they pose a serious and imminent risk to air safety," a CASA spokesman said.
The grounding comes after a 10 month investigation into training and the checking of pilots at the airline.
"We've had an investigation going since last September into Aero-Tropics, we have found a number of deficiencies in that 10 months," the spokesman said.
"We've issued a number of notices to the airline... to make improvements and put them on notice that we were dissatisfied with their performance.
"In effect they have not improved anything and in recent days we've done more investigations and in fact found that safety standards have got worse."
He said CASA had uncovered a pattern of failures to meet the aviation safety standards within the airline.
"We've tried to work with the airline to get them to improve the standards, they've failed to do that," he said.
"That also leads us to have a lack of confidence in the management of the airline to actually treat their commitment to safety as seriously as they should."
He said the decision was not made due to any incidents with the fleet of 15 seven to 11-seater aircraft or the pilots operating them.
The airline will be grounded for at least five days.
CASA will now apply to the Federal Court for a 40 day extension to the grounding.
"Within that 40 days we have to build a case to either permanently cancel their certificate, put them on the ground permanently, or of course alternatively, the airline can build a case to say why they should be allowed to continue to fly," the spokesman said.
Air services to the region will be disrupted over the weekend and into next week.
A recorded message left on Aero-Tropics' answering machine said it would challenge the decision in the Federal Court on Monday.
"It is with great regret that I must advise the communities of the Torres Strait that we have been forced by the authorities to cancel all flights until this matter is resolved," the message said.
"It is my expectation that this matter will be tried in the immediate (future) before the Federal Court early Monday morning.
"There is a possibility that Aero-Tropics can recommence operations sometime on Monday."
Reports to hand confirm the fact that no more facts can be confirmed at this time. However, at a date soon to be confirmed, more unconfirmed reports will be denied. This should put an end to all the rumours circulating at the moment.
Doesn’t surprise me in the least. A leopard doesn’t change his spots after all and in regard to this company their history is very well known to those that have been around for a while. I’m just sorry that the staff has to go through something that was completely avoidable.
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From experience, Comply, be transparent, talk to CASA, gain respect and it ends up a lot cheaper that doing nothing, and u end up having good operation.
Sad to see a orgainsation go bad and many good guys and girls have their jobs in limbo.
Im not sujesting to just give in to CASA, but as an operator you have to develop a working relationshio with them, gain some respect, even if that repect is gained through presenting a diffenence if opinion.
Sad to see a orgainsation go bad and many good guys and girls have their jobs in limbo.
Im not sujesting to just give in to CASA, but as an operator you have to develop a working relationshio with them, gain some respect, even if that repect is gained through presenting a diffenence if opinion.
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???????? What's Going On Here ?????????
Is it just me, or can anyone else spot the contradiction here (in the above news report that is)??? I mean, blind Freddy looking thru a stubby full of mud would be able to see it. 
Be hard for them to find a new chief pilot if they get out of the mire they are in at the moment. Having said that everyone likes a challenge!!
The boys and girls at Barrier and Regional Pacific on Horn will be busy!
The boys and girls at Barrier and Regional Pacific on Horn will be busy!
Sounds on the face of it that they were given a lot of time to get their act together.
An aviation business has to be profitable and wealthy as well as having ownership and management with the correct "culture' if it's going to meet the safety standards.
They now have the chance of an independent umpire making the decision as to whether they get back into the air or not.
An aviation business has to be profitable and wealthy as well as having ownership and management with the correct "culture' if it's going to meet the safety standards.
They now have the chance of an independent umpire making the decision as to whether they get back into the air or not.
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What you say may be true but I think the situation here is that when you are operating RPT and are a large operator then you inevitably draw greater attention to yourself. RPT seems to be the golden chalice that CASA is very protective of. It's hard to gain on an AOC and from what I've seen, easy to lose.