Temporary Suspension of WINAIR Flights in and out of Montserrat

The traveling public have been hit by the news that WINAIR charter flights into and out of Montserrat have been temporarily halted.

The news comes after a letter from Air Safety Support International (ASSI) stated that there were “some anomalies with the airline’s departure phase out of Montserrat”

Because of the contents of the letter from ASSI the Montserrat Access Group (MACG) has been forced to temporarily suspend WINAIR charter flights to and from Montserrat.

In the letter dated December 13, Captioned “Montserrat Airport Matters” to WINAIR’s Chief Pilot Michael Awai II and copied to the Governor’s Office among others, a copy of which was also made available to ZJB News, ASSI stated that it was acting under instruction from the Governor, Her Excellency Sarah Tucker.

The ASSI letter further stated that they tried to contact WINAIR’s aviation regulator to address what it said were “some anomalies with the airline’s departure phase out of Montserrat” and that it understood that the Twin Otter aircraft was due to fly to Montserrat on Tuesday December 13

ASSI highlighted that it was vital for these anomalies to be addressed so that the flight could go ahead.

The letter added that through the governor’s instruction, ASSI asked for a safety assessment and that there was an assumption that the full and appropriate Performance Class A criteria, in case of the Twin Otter aircraft, be adopted.

The ASSI letter pointed out that Under Performance Class A, no account is taken of reverse thrust at the planning stage though of course it can be used operationally…adding that it is not clear how the accelerate/stop distance is calculated.

ASSI said they have contacted WINAIR’s aviation regulator to verify the aircraft’s performance calculations…and concluded that in the meantime it requires that all operations to and from Montserrat be conducted under strict Performance Class A criteria.

Meantime, ZJB News contacted MACG to get their response to the ASSI Letter.

MACG president Desmond Meade says he was contacted by WINAIR notifying them of a temporary halt to flight operations into John A. Osborne Airport.

However, he says MACG, in review of the ASSI letter, has found several matters which will require a response by WINAIR to ASSI.

Meade says MACG has also engaged legal counsel, to intervene in the matters, which ultimately could be resolved.

He points out that MACG wishes to state, that WINAIR has NOT violated any ASSI, or John A. Osborne air regulations, and maintains the safety standards already approved and adopted by ASSI themselves.

In conclusion, Meade says the question remains though, why at this time ASSI will intervene in WINAIR flight operations into Montserrat in the middle of the Holiday Season?"

And ZJB News contacted the governor’s office to get their take on the latest development.

In a press release, it says that ASSI is seeking assurance from Winair’s Safety Regulator, St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority (SMCAA), that all flights entering and leaving Montserrat are being flown in accordance with the set international standards for aircraft performance.

The governor’s office press release states that using these standards helps to make sure aircraft have sufficient length of runway for take-off and landing based on their power and load.

It says that while these assurances are being sought it may, unfortunately, lead to some disruption to Winair flights.

The governor’s office laments that in all their actions safety is their first priority to ensure those using the services have the highest level of safety.

It says that they are engaged with Winair to make sure its flights can resume as soon as possible as a safe operation that meets international standards.

….ZJB News will continue to monitor this developing access situation .