Aviation safety sector works together to respond to TC Harold

PORT VILA, Vanuatu: The Pacific Aviation Safety Office and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu are working together with Vanuatu’s civil aviation operators to ensure Vanuatu’s commercial chartered aircraft are meeting international airworthiness safety standards as they respond to Tropical Cyclone Harold.

“Pacific Aviation Safety Office is currently providing technical expertise to Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu to assist with airworthiness certificates renewals for commercial chartered operators’ aircraft that have had major maintenance carried out,” said Aviation Safety's Operations Manager, Netava Waqa.

“These commercial aircraft are vital to Vanuatu’s current emergency Tropical Cyclone Harold relief response and Aviation Safety's technical aviation safety oversight will enable the Aviation Authority to properly assess and certify that these aircrafts can safely return to the air to help Vanuatu’s communities.”

“Aviation Safety Office and Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu are cooperating to carry out meticulous inspections of aircraft operators’ maintenance records to ensure aircraft have been maintained fully in accordance with the required standards and are therefore, safe to operate to carry passengers,” said Mr. Waqa.

Vanuatu’s operators are a critical component of the Pacific nation’s current emergency response to the devasting impacts of Easter Sunday’s Tropical Cyclone Harold in the northern provinces of the nation.

With Vanuatu in a self-imposed COVID-19 locked down, foreign aid is restricted to the transport of emergency supplies to the capital Port Vila. The Pacific nation is relying on locally based, commercial chartered operators to reach Vanuatu’s network of small remote airports to transport emergency supplies onto impacted remote communities across the wide geographical area affected by the natural disaster.