Estonian plane "accidentally" given authorisation for passenger flights
Soder flights between Helsinki and Kittilä cancelled
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Estonian aviation authorities are considering on Monday whether or not to forbid passenger flights by planes of the company Enimex, which was to have flown passengers between Helsinki and Kittilä in Finnish Lapland already on Saturday.
Tickets for the flights on the former military plane were sold by the Finnish company Soder Aviation.
In addition to the two Saturday flights, Enimex and Soder Aviation had to cancel two other flights scheduled for Sunday, because the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) did not authorise the Ukrainian-built Antonov AN-72 to carry passengers.
"Officials of the country of manufacture have approved the plane for use in cargo flights alone. Passenger flights are not allowed on it", says Eero Kausalainen, deputy head of CAA.
According to a statement by Soder Aviation on Friday, Enimex transport planes have previously been used to carry passengers in Finland and other European countries.
"The plane has undoubtedly transported all kinds of things. There has been a mistake somewhere, and it is high time to fix it", Kausalainen says. He did not know exactly how much the plane has flown in Finland.
Koit Kaskel, head of the Estonian Civil Aviation Administration, says that Estonia originally granted permission for passenger flights with the plane "accidentally". Later it was difficult to cancel the licence of a company that employs more than 100 people. Authorities feared lawsuits.
Kaskel says that Enimex has flown soldiers to crisis areas, and that even the United Nations has used Enimex to reach difficult areas. In his view, the AN-72 is not appropriate for ordinary passenger transport.
Estonia's CAA gave Enimex four notices and warnings last year - most of them in the last three months of the year.
Kaskel says that there were problems in the servicing of the plane, and in the model of plane itself, which is not suitable for passenger service.
"I believe that the decision by the Finnish authorities was correct", Kaskel says. "We will probably cancel the passenger licences of Enimex on Monday."
Enimex refused to comment on the decision by the Finnish CAA before Monday.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 13.3.2006 - TODAY |
 Estonian plane "accidentally" given authorisation for passenger flights |
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