The Civil Aeronautical Authority (CAA) is awaiting the decision of the U.S. aviation authorities regarding the incident in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-Max 9 lost a window in mid-flight, after which Panama’s Copa Airlines suspended the operations of 21 aircraft of the aforementioned type.
According to Fabio Salvatierra De Luca, deputy director of the CAA, said that “this is the main and most important thing for this administration, to ensure that passengers fly safely”.
He said that fortunately, the coordination between the CAA and the airline has guaranteed this, so we are only waiting for new information from both the FAA and Boeing to be able to carry out the established procedures.
“We are with our people inspecting the procedure at all times, so that as soon as the aircraft can operate safely, then reintegrate them into service,” he added.
Salvatierra explained that for the suspension of the 21 Copa aircraft there was direct coordination between the airline and the CAA. “The U.S. FAA always communicates to the states and then the states, through a document called an airworthiness directive, there was direct coordination with the airline.”
He expressed that by means of a resolution, the director of Civil Aeronautics stated that the processes that the U.S. authority mandates must be carried out because the manufacturer Boeing is from that country.
“As long as the airline company guarantees that these processes were carried out and our civil aviation inspectors who are working with them directly can guarantee it, the aircrafts will enter into service at once, as long as they are safe,” he said.
The official maintained that they are awaiting the review of a new resolution issued today in the United States, which is being analyzed by the CAA’s technical team, according to the Estrella de Panamá.
“Everything depends on the investigation of the incident by the United States, so as long as we have no assurance that the aircraft are operating safely, we are waiting for them to provide that information to ensure compliance here in Panama,” he concluded.
Source: Arecoa.com
