CAYMAN ISLANDS (12 July 2001) -- Concerned that there is a misconception the National Flag Carrier, Cayman Airways (CAL) was permanently shutting down operations, a second press conference was called today, Wednesday, 11 July, to give assurance to the public and its 350 employees that this is not the case. The 4:00 pm press conference, chaired this time by the Hon. Kurt Tibbetts, Leader of Government Business with Portfolio responsible for Cayman Airways, who said: "while CAL's entire fleet lay grounded pending a self-imposed thorough inspection, its regular routes will be maintained by other leased aircraft providing a sub-service". "Cayman Airlines is not ceasing operations," re-iterated Mr. Mike Adam, acting Chief Executive Officer of the airline. In another development, neither the Minister, Mr. Adam, nor CAL's Chairman, Mrs Sheridan Brooks-Hurst - who was also in attendance along with Directors of the airline - was able to confirm or deny that the Vice-President for Maintenance and Engineering at CAL, Mr Derek Tibbetts, had resigned today. The entire three - plane CAL fleet was grounded effective Tuesday night after two of its aircraft encountered mishaps within four days, with the last one being on Tuesday, 7 July. The aircraft are now subject to an audit by an independent UK firm. The airline officials and Minister Tibbetts expressed confidence that the planes will be returning to service in a matter of days after examination and repairs. | | "The investigation will take place plane by plane," said Ms Brooks-Hurst. She explained that immediately upon completion of examination, that particular aircraft would return to regular flying as the others go under scrutiny. Meanwhile, CAL is maintaining all its scheduled services and honouring commitment to passengers with the sub-service which one official said would cost the airline $400,000 per week. Minister Tibbetts said it was unfortunate for CAL that two thirds of its fleet should be struck within a matter of days. He said these events usually happen months apart to any airline. "Here is a situation at present that is not anything but a co-incidental sequence of events," he said. Responding this morning to a journalist's question on whether the airline was facing 'crunch time', Ms. Brooks-Hurst said for as long as she can remember "Cayman Airways has always been experiencing crunch time." Ms. Kathleen Bergen in the Public Affairs office, of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in Atlanta, who confirmed that CAL still holds a Category 1 rating. However, she said, the airline is scheduled for a hearing at a high "Washington level, sometime over the next few weeks possibly by the end of July." SOURCE - Caynet News |
