Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 23): Eaglexpress Air Charter Sdn Bhd has obtained a renewal of its IOSA Operators Certification by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the second time the haj and umrah flight operator has been confirmed the status.

In a statement today, the company said the certificate was signed by IATA's senior vice president for safety and flight operations, Gilberto Lopez Meyer, confirming that Eaglexpress is conforming to the provisions of the IOSA Programme Manual under the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

Eaglexpress said the IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

"The total accident rate for IOSA carriers between 2011 and 2015 was 3.3 times lower than the rate for non-IOSA operators. As such, IOSA has become a global standard," it said.

Eaglexpress said it is moving towards becoming a leading private provider of scheduled charter flights for haj and umrah, from being a provider of wet lease aircraft.

"Ultimately we want to make haj and umrah more accessible to the global Muslim population. Safety is the primary concern of pilgrims and their families; that is why this certification is critical, the wellbeing of pilgrims is a responsibility that we take seriously," said the company.

Eaglexpress' air service permit (ASP) was revoked last month, after the flight operator failed to comply with certain conditions imposed by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).

On Aug 30 last year, Mavcom granted Eaglexpress an ASP for 12 months until Aug 31 this year, with specific conditions imposed by the commission to be complied by the airline within stipulated timeframes.

The operator failed to meet the conditions, and was issued a show-cause letter on Dec 1, with Eaglexpress submitting its reply to Mavcom on Dec 14.

However, Mavcom said the reply was not satisfactory and decided to revoke the ASP.

"The airline has failed to provide sufficient evidence for the commission to believe that it will be able to resolve all concerns raised and comply with the conditions imposed," Mavcom had said.

Eaglexpress was the second airline to lose its licence after Rayani Air Sdn Bhd, which had its air service licence revoked in June this year following safety regulation violations and economic concerns over the airline's viability.

Eaglexpress serves flights from 19 destinations to Saudi Arabia, from North Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Malaysia. In Malaysia, the operator is based in KL International Airport, operating four Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

 

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