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Airport News, "Mexico grounds troubled budget airline"
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
FOCUS-Mexico grounds troubled budget airline
By Michael Christie
MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexico on Tuesday grounded a troubled budget
airline that has been rocked by allegations of poor safety and maintenance
following a crash this month in which 18 people died.
Deputy Communications and Transport Minster Aaron Dychter told reporters the
ministry temporarily suspended the operating license of Transportes Aereos
Executivos, or Taesa, after investigations found recurring "anomalies and
incidents."
"The aviation authorities have decided to carry out an in depth verification
of the policies, processes, procedures and systems of the company in terms
of operations, maintenance, training and administration, as well as of the
aircraft in operation," Dychter told a news conference.
"For that reason, we have decided to suspend temporarily the flight
operations of Taesa," he added.
Taesa Flight 725 crashed into an avocado grove shortly after taking off from
the western city of Uruapan, 185 miles from Mexico City, on Nov. 9, killing
all 18 on board. The DC-9 aircraft was on its way to the capital.
The suspension on Tuesday halted Taesa's 11-year experiment with cut-price
air travel in Mexico and removed, for now, one of the main competitors of
virtual monopoly Cintra, a company majority-owned by the government and the
operator of Mexico's two largest airlines, Mexicana de Aviacion and
AeroMexico.
The company has faced a string of U.S. aviation sanctions for safety
violations since being set up in 1988. A chartered Taesa Lear 25 jet crashed
in 1994 near Washington, D.C., killing all 12 aboard.
The airline also has a growing debt stock of nearly $500 million, suffered
bitter labor disputes and tax-fraud charges against its owner.
In the aftermath of the crash of Flight 725, concerns about safety have come
to the fore.
Its flight attendants claim the DC-9 had a history of mechanical problems
and its engines leaked oil.
They also allege the company kept two separate maintenance records -- one a
whitewashed version presented to authorities and the other an accurate
account of all problems encountered. Taesa has denied the charges.
Taesa recently acknowledged it had been forced to cancel more than a dozen
flights because it was an aircraft short. Sources at Mexico City airport,
who asked not to be identified, said passengers had also been canceling
bookings.
Local media reported this week that two Taesa flights had had to return to
the airports they took off from because of mechanical problems -- one on
Saturday in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco and another on Sunday in
the Caribbean holiday destination of Cancun.
In a statement, the Ministry of Communications and Transport said passenger
safety was of paramount concern.
It said the suspension meant all Taesa aircraft had to remain on the ground
and undergo intensive examinations.
"It's important to stress that this measure has been adopted with the
greatest responsibility, in order to fully guarantee the safety of
passengers and crew," it said.
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