Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Civil Aviation Agency (AAC) justifies the suspension of the Air Operator Certificate (COA) and the Air Explorer License (LEA) of TICV, represented by Bestfly, due to non-compliance with requirements and degradation of the company’s financial capacity.
According to a press release from AAC, until the entry of the new majority shareholder in 2021, Bestfly Worldwide, the COA of the operator TICV, SA had a validity period of 24 months, however, due to non-compliance with certain requirements regulations, in 2022, for the first time, the COA was renewed on a limited basis for a period of 12 months.
“It should be noted that the current COA of the operator TICV, SA, due to continued non-compliance with regulatory requirements and the degradation of the company’s financial capacity, was renewed in November 2023, in an even more limited manner for a period of only 8 months in accordance with national regulations”, the note reads.
The note indicates that of the two ATR72-212A type aircraft listed in the OpSpec, TICV, SA, the one with registration D4-BFB is out of service and its Airworthiness Certificate has expired since September 17, 2023, and the other registration number D4-BFA has been unavailable for commercial operations since March 6, 2024.
Taking this situation into account, the statement highlights, the operator did not take any steps to operationalize them and it was not demonstrated by the operator that the aforementioned aircraft are in the maintenance process, remembering that during this period, TICV contracted an aircraft to a foreign operator, under an ACMI (Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance) lease, on two occasions.
AAC also informed that despite the regulatory deadline for submission being 15 working days before the scheduled start date of operations, on April 1, 2024, five days earlier, a new request for approval of a lease contract was submitted. of a new aircraft under the same regime.
“Subsequently, the appropriate flight authorization was also issued for the start of operations in Cape Verde for the aforementioned aircraft, which authorization was renewed on the 11th and 14th of April at the request of the operator, without the aircraft having arrived. to Cape Verde, according to the dates indicated and without any explanation from the operator being presented to the authority”, said the statement.
The Cape Verdean aeronautical authority recalled that the aircraft, subject of the rental contract, arrived in Cape Verde on April 15th, the last day of validity of the approved rental contract, without, however, the pending issues previously reported having been resolved. , adding that evidence was requested in this regard regarding the execution of ongoing maintenance work on the D4-BFA aircraft, as well as the period of its immobilization.
However, the same source stressed, a new request for approval of the aircraft rental contract was submitted, with a new justification, that of temporary reinforcement of the fleet intended to meet the operator’s occasional needs, and the analysis resulted in the process being returned on the day April 19, for not complying with regulatory requirements, the operator continuing without any commercial operations.
AAC stated, on the other hand, that the situations listed above have led the operator to repeatedly fail to comply with its commercial plans, due to a lack of aircraft and, consequently, jeopardizing the rights of passengers in clear violation of the provisions of the Decree-Law No. 35/2006, of June 26th.
He also warned that given the suspension of commercial operations, the operator must safeguard the rights of all affected passengers in accordance with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 35/2006, of 26 June, with the Authority closely monitoring the entire situation .
The AAC guarantees, however, that the analysis of all processes related to the civil aviation sector is based on high legal-administrative and operational safety standards, in accordance with the practices and recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) , always seeking to ensure the safeguarding of human lives, contributing greatly to Cape Verde’s prestige in terms of international civil aviation.
In a press release sent to Inforpress this Tuesday, BestFly World Wide, the majority shareholder of TICV, announced that it had taken the difficult decision to definitively stop operating in Cape Verde and suspend the company’s operations in the country, with this request for suspension has already been presented to the AAC.
According to the same source, TICV was surprised to receive, on April 19, 2024, a letter from the Civil Aviation Agency (AAC) of Cape Verde stating that, after initial approval, it had taken the decision to revoke the approval it had granted for the “wet lease” contract for an aircraft mobilized to regularize inter-island connectivity in Cape Verde and which was already in the country.
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