ONE-TWO-GO AIRLINES
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
Pilot error caused the fatal crash in Phuket last year and was the reason behind the grounding of One-Two-Go airlines, Chaisak Angsuwan, the director-general of the Civil Aviation Department, said yesterday.
His statement contradicted one from the budget airline on Friday, which cited problems including rising oil prices and strong competition as the need to temporarily cease operations and ground all eight of its MD 80 series planes.
Mr Chaisak said pilot error while trying to land at Phuket international airport on Sept 16 last year prompted the department to ban the entire MD fleet from service.
Investigations found the plane and maintenance were up to standard, but the way the pilots worked needed to improve to meet international requirements, he said.
The decision to ground One-Two-Go was based mainly on the inquiry by the National Transport Safety Board of the United States and the assessment of the department. The 56-day suspension will start tomorrow.
The temporary ban will only apply to the MD 80 aircraft. All 747 jets flying for Orient Thai airlines, which also belong to Udom Tantiprasongchai, the owner of One-Two-Go, are allowed to keep operating, but improvements are expected within 30 days, Mr Chaisak said. He refused to go into detail.
On Sept 16 last year a One-Two-Go MD-82 crashed in strong winds and heavy rain while trying to land at Phuket. The accident left 89 people dead and 41 injured. Transport Minister Santi Promphat said he was briefed on the report by the department chief on July 11.
The decision to suspend the budget airline will be announced at a press conference today.
Mr Udom said he accepted the results of the investigation, which pointed out faults by the pilots, and promised to make improvements.
A source at the department said the agency had informed One-Two-Go about the need to improve its performance, but nothing was improved.
The agency planned to ground both One-Two-Go and Orient Thai, but later decided to let Orient Thai continue operating. The source said the agency was not satisfied with the no-frills airline after finding that checks by the pilots were not being carried out properly.
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