HONIARA, Solomon Islands (21 Oct 2001) -- Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounded Solomon Airlines Friday, effectively cutting the war torn Solomon Islands off from the outside world. Solomon Air used a Boeing 737, which was code-shared with Qantas and Air Vanuatu, to link the capital, Honiara, with Brisbane, Australia, and Nadi, Fiji. CASA said the airline's operations had been suspended while an investigation is carried out into safety breaches. A range of safety problems, "which could place at risk the safe operations of passenger carrying flights," had been found, it said. There were concerns about the inadequacy of corporate management, control and supervision. "Communications of safety information within the airline is inadequate or non existent and control of training and check is lacking." | | Solomon Islands rebel CASA said also that the airline was operating an airport without adequate navigational equipment. The airport was not named but Solomon Air is headquartered at Henderson Field, just outside of Honiara on Guadalcanal. It was built initially by the Japanese and then seized by the Americans, who held it in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. For the last three years it has been the front-line in an ongoing civil and ethnic war on the island. SOURCE - PINA |
