Pakistan suspends Aero Asia flights on safety concerns
10 May 2007
"The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) with immediate effect has suspended the operations of Aero Asia due to issues related to the safety of operations and passenger convenience," a CAA statement said.
The CAA said the action followed persistent failure by the airline to take remedial action.
"These problems were highlighted to the management of Aero Asia time and again, but the situation, instead of improving, went from bad to worse," the CAA said.
Aero Asia operated on at least three domestic and three international routes.
Meanwhile, the airline said it had temporarily suspended operations. "We have decided to suspend our operations temporarily with effect from May 19 till further notice," Haider Jalal, managing director of the airline, told a news conference in Karachi.
The action by the state run regulator follows one by the European Union in March this year, which banned all but seven of state-run Pakistan International Airlines' aging fleet of 42 planes on safety concerns.