/ 21 January 2010

Another Airlink plane experiences problems

An SA Airlink flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar, had to turn back shortly after take off this week due to overheating, the airline said on Thursday.

An SA Airlink flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar, had to turn back shortly after take off on Monday due to overheating, the airline said on Thursday.

“The Avro RJ85 that departed for Antananarivo [on Monday] turned back shortly after take-off due to the three-engine intake anti-icing system overheating,” spokesperson Karin Murray said.

“The turn back related to intense weather systems and the expectation of encountering severe icing en-route to Antananarivo, and was in the interests of safety.”

She said the replacement aircraft encountered a flap problem while on the ground and due to the indefinite delay the flight was cancelled.

“Passengers were taken care of with hotel arrangements and accommodated on the next available flight on Tuesday morning.”

In December, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suspended the airworthiness certificates of 14 Jetstream aircraft.

In January, the CAA lifted the suspension on one of the 14 grounded Jetstream aircraft.

The grounding follows a number of incidents involving Airlink. — Sapa