RP lets airline fly again

RP lets airline fly again

MANILA (Reuters): The Philippines Air Transportation Office (ATO) said yesterday it would allow Cebu Pacific Airways to fly again after one of its aircraft crashed in February in the country's worst air disaster.

A preliminary ATO report released last week said the crash was probably caused by human error and ruled out mechanical failure, a criminal act and bad weather as causes.

The ATO said yesterday that although its initial findings on the crash showed Cebu Pacific had not complied with standard recommended practices, the airline had taken remedial action and would be permitted to undertake limited operations with immediate effect.

"... non-compliance was in the general areas of flight dispatch and flight operations and procedures, flight crew qualification and training, and aircraft worthiness and maintenance systems," the ATO said.