French aircraft manufacturer ATR says its planes are safe and that suggestions made by the People’s Partnership government in Trinidad and Tobago that there may be safety issues with its aircraft have no basis in fact.
The Trinidad Express newspaper reported that the southern France-based turboprop aircraft maker said on Wednesday that it has noted discussions in Trinidad and Tobago during the past couple of weeks about the acquisition by state-owned carrier Caribbean Airlines (CAL) of nine ATR airplanes to renew its fleet.
Approved by Cabinet and agreed to by ATR and Caribbean Airlines in September, the contract for the 68-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft is valued at US$200 million. However, the deal and the firing of former CAL CEO Capt. Ian Brunton are now at the heart of an impasse between the George Nicholas-led board and Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner.
The ongoing discussions on the deal have elicited concerns about the safety of ATR aircraft and the need to review this in the context of CAL’s choice of aircraft. ATR, however, has not taken too kindly to the insinuation of such safety issues.
