Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT, 遠東航空) yesterday outlined its plans to replace its aging fleet over the next six years and urged the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to ease its restrictions on the carrier.
Following widespread flight cancelations last month and a towing collision last week, FAT chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) denied the rumor that he is looking to exit the airline industry.
The carrier is committed to replacing its fleet of aging aircraft — of which many are nearing the CAA’s limit of 26 years, Chang told a news conference in Taipei.
“No carrier prefers older aircraft, as they consume more fuel, have higher maintenance costs and command lower ticket prices,” Chang said.
He said that FAT has taken delivery of two new ATR 72-600 aircraft, which are undergoing certification by the CAA, and two more of the aircraft would be delivered next year, in addition to new Airbus A320 and A330 jetliners later on.
In addition to capital expenditure, a full fleet replacement also requires considerable training for pilots and cabin crew, who must familiarize themselves with the new aircraft to ensure flight safety, Chang said.
He said that he has hired pilots and cabin crew from the now-defunct TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空), who are on standby to staff the new aircraft.
Chang attributed the flight cancelations and towing collision to a lack of hangar space that made it difficult to perform maintenance.
“On many occasions, FAT had received flight clearance from the CAA only one day before takeoff, leaving us unable to fully staff flights,” Chang said.
“While I do not want to call it quits, it appears that certain officials in the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the CAA want to see FAT cease operations,” Chang said, without elaborating.
He urged government agencies to provide leeway while the carrier stabilizes its operations, such as a three-year buffer period to carry out fleet replacement and the easing of restrictions that have led to flight cancelations.
Regarding the CAA’s allegations of financial mismanagement, Chang said that it is normal to use the loans secured by the carrier to fund non-aviation affiliates of the FAT Group (樺福遠航集團), its parent company.
“We are carrying out the terms of the airline’s restructuring plan,” Chang said.
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