The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) yesterday said that as of last month, it had ordered Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) to reduce its fleet’s total flight hours due to the age of its aircraft and other operational issues.
It was the first time a domestic airline was ordered to limit its total flight hours.
The airline confirmed that it had been ordered to reduce its total flight hours, and said that it is operating 1,300 hours each month.
Photo: courtesy of Far Eastern Air Transport
A plan to improve flight safety and operational efficiency was submitted to the CAA, which is now reviewing it, the airline said.
It said that it hopes to have total flight hours back up to 1,400 hours next month.
FAT has a higher flight delay rate than other domestic carriers and frequently reports mechanical problems with its aircraft, the CAA said, adding that it has received many complaints from FAT passengers.
The restriction on flight hours led to the cancelation of charter flights between Kaohsiung, Taichung and Phnom Penh, the airline said.
However, it said it is not planning to resume the charters even after its restriction on hours is lifted.
Even before the CAA’s order last month, the airline had been told to limit the number of its international charter flights.
FAT has the oldest fleet of the nation’s domestic carriers, CAA data showed. It has eight McDonnell Douglas (MD)-82/83 passenger jets, which have an average age of more than 21 years.
For safety reasons, the CAA has only allowed two of the planes to be used on domestic flights, while the others can only be used for international flights if the CAA gives permission.
The CAA said it would consider gradually increasing the airline’s flight hours after the company starts using new ATR aircraft later this year.
In related news, the tests on a FAT pilot who was caught drinking before reporting for duty at Kaohsiung International Airport on March 7 showed that the pilot’s blood-alcohol level was 4.2 times higher than regulation limits.
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