PILOTS have been rebuffed in their attempts to raise safety concerns with troubled airline Flyglobespan, their union has claimed.
The allegation came as the carrier was fined £5,000 after admitting flying across the Atlantic with faulty aircraft instruments.
The Edinburgh-based firm admitted allowing a Boeing 757 to take off from Liverpool airport in June last year with tw
o engine gauges not working. It was the first criminal prosecution against a British airline for 12 years.
The British Air Line Pilots Association (Balpa) claimed it had been refused talks with Flyglobespan over safety issues after a separate incident last year when the airline had a licence for direct transatlantic flights suspended by the Civil Aviation Authority. However, the airline last night denied Balpa's claim and said it had not heard from the union after offering to meet.
* We'd like to hear about your experiences of travelling with Flyglobespan. Click here to send us an email *Flyglobespan's problems have led passenger watchdogs to warn that any further safety issues could hit passenger confidence.
A judge at Southwark Crown Court ruled yesterday that Flyglobespan had used some "optimistic interpretation" of the rules to allow a Boeing 757 to take off from Liverpool to New York with 20 passengers.
Recorder James Curtis QC said the aircraft's two engine pressure ratio indicators were not working, which meant the pilots were "stretched more than ideally than they could have been in flying the plane safely".
The judge said the failure of the instruments had not made the plane unsafe or endangered its passengers. However, he said it was an "important breach" of Civil Aviation Authority requirements.
Jim McAuslan, Balpa's general secretary, said: "Balpa has, for some time, sought to engage the airline in discussion about how it might review its own culture, but to date there has been no positive response. In fact, there has been no response other than threats of legal action."
A spokesman for the union said Flyglobespan had threatened legal action in response to Balpa comments about the airline having a licence for direct flights across the Atlantic suspended last October.
The action – the first against a British airline for at least 15 years – is understood to have followed investigations in the US into an aircraft servicing sub-contractor.
Simon Evans, the chief executive of the Air Transport Users Council, said: "For the moment, passengers will give Flyglobespan the benefit of the doubt, but the airline will have to watch because if there are any more safety-related issues, people may start to lose confidence."
Flyglobespan said it accepted the court ruling. A spokesman said: "We have always maintained that this was a genuine mistake of technical interpretation which, at no time, put passengers in danger."
The airline's flight operations and engineering directors have since left the company.
Plane was judged fit to flyA THUNDERSTORM raged as the Boeing 757 prepared to leave John F Kennedy airport in New York in June last year, with heavy rain lashing the ground.
Engineering work was being carried out prior to departure, and at some stage, it is believed the plane was struck by lightning. The Flyglobespan plane took off normally and started its journey to Liverpool.
However, the pilots soon noticed two instruments which indicate thrust levels in the plane's twin engines were not working. The failure of the instruments had no impact on the aircraft's safety, but it meant the crew had to manually operate and calculate its thrust settings.
Some six hours later, the Boeing landed safely at Liverpool airport and the captain filed a report on the instrument failure.
Engineers examined the fault but could not fix it or find the cause.
The return flight was delayed by six hours.
The engineers informed Flyglobespan's flight operations director
who checked the aircraft's "minimum equipment list", laid down by the CAA. This states one engine pressure ratio indicator must be working.
However, the flight operations director decided the aircraft was "serviceable", and could take off again. The pilot taking over the flight apparently had no hesitation in agreeing the plane could depart safely. On arrival in New York, engineers examined the plane again and rectified the fault.
Four months later, following a tip-off from the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, the CAA launched an investigation into the incident. The case was heard at Westminster Magistrates Court last month, when Flyglobespan admitted two charges of breaching civil aviation regulations. The case was referred to Southwark Crown Court for sentencing.
Hard line on rule breach correctTHE Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were right to come down hard on Flyglobespan because it is their zero tolerance attitude that has made modern air travel the safe industry it is today.
Airlines have never been safer. Every single person connected with airline operations is indoctrinated in safety regulations. Systems have been developed and perfected so that mistakes happen rarely. Safety is paramount in the aviation industry, and rightly so because lives are at risk.
In this instance Flyglobespan did not put people at risk, but they did operate outside the regulations. The CAA had no choice, because of the high standards that they set, to which all airlines are a party.
Flyglobespan may receive some bad press – particularly in Scotland because they have already had some negative coverage – but their reputation will stay intact. There will always be some people who take note and avoid an airline, but today's consumer is influenced by price more than safety.
Ryanair and Easyjet have created very successful businesses because of the prices they charge and they way they fly. However, it is also because of the incredibly high safety standards within the aviation industry – largely due to the work done by the CAA – that budget airlines have become such efficient businesses.
Back in the 1960s airplanes were less safe. Today safety rules supreme. It is what regulates the industry and what holds it to account. Therefore the CAA may well have come down on Flyglobespan, but ultimately it will do little to damage their reputation and I am sure they will continue to serve the people of Scotland proudly.
• RICHARD HAVERS is former vice-president of Continental Airlines and former General Manager Europe for British Caledonian.
PROFILEFLYGLOBESPAN was launched in 2002 as an offshoot of the Edinburgh-based Globespan Group.
The firm was primarily a tour operator to Canada after it was formed in 1974.
The carrier began operating holiday flights from Scotland to the Mediterranean, but has expanded to North America.
Flyglobespan has a fleet of 15 aircraft. Founder Tom Dalrymple's wealth was last year estimated as £68 million. He remains chairman and principal shareholder.
Flyglobespan was last year named best holiday airline by the Scottish Passenger Agents Association.
