Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and its predecessor BWIA have a combined history of 71 years of careful and stringent safety and maintenance checks of its fleet of aircraft, says CAL's former chief executive officer, Ian Brunton. He has also come out in strong defence of CAL's regulatory procedures, saying the airline had always operated "well above board." "In fact, even when I was there up to nine months ago, nothing has changed," he said. "There was efficient and regular training and compliancy checks to ensure there were appropriate and competency skills...It is a huge combination of things. "CAL complies with every single standard and procedures." CAL's Boeing 737-800, carrying 157 passengers and six crew members, overshot the runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana on Saturday. Saying he was fully confident that "all will be revealed," Brunton said the last thing T&T needed was speculation which would cast a dark shadow over the country's airline industry. "We cannot speculate...Everything will come out in the inquiry," he said. "We have the black box and the tapes from the tower which will reveal everything. "At this point, the best thing we can do for the country and for CAL is not sully its image by speculating."
According to Brunton, the estimated two to three minutes just before the aircraft landed were "particularly critical." He said: "It will tell us what exactly transpired; what was the visibility like...what the pilot said."
He expressed confidence that the investigation into the crash would be conducted fairly and transparently. "I am totally confident," he said. "The NSTB (National Transportation Safety Board) has no axe to grind with anyone and I'm sure they will do a fair inquiry...There is nothing to hide." He said the NSTB team, comprising eight people, would work closely with both aviation authorities of T&T and Guyana. Asked if he believed that T&T's international aviation image had been stained, Brunton said how CAL handled the matter was more important. "At first, the initial response by people will be that they may be scared to fly with the airline, so what's important is how the entire situation is handled by CAL," he said. "If it is determined that there was the absence of skill and judgment, then let the chips fall where they may." Brunton was also critical of the warning that the local media must not become like "the American media." "You have all sorts of people, these so-called experts voicing all sorts of opinions and they don't know what the hell they're talking about," he said. "This would cause panic in the minds of people and that is not necessary."
About 18 months ago, American Airlines flight 331 from Miami to Kingston, with more than 150 passengers and crew aboard, overshot a runway in Jamaica. The American Airlines aircraft was a 737-800, just as the CAL aircraft that crashed in Guyana. Both the CAL and the American Airlines aircraft were involved in night landings, ran off the runways and broke through the perimeter fence. Commenting on the crash involving the American Airlines plane, Brunton said he did not believe that it was the result of any design flaw. "In both cases, it was a hell of an impact," he said. "It's a wonder that both planes did not break anywhere else."
CAL safety checks
Safety checks conducted by CAL
• Trip check made on each aircraft before every flight;
• 48-hour service check;
• weekly check made at intervals of no more than ten days;
• A-check conducted every seven weeks when 600 flight hours are made;
• major C-check conducted every 15 months when 6,000 flight hours are made; and
• D-check, also known as CPCP check, where corrosion, prevention and control programme is examined, especially on aircraft eight years or older.