HAIL CAD!!

Being proven wrong, sometimes is a good thing. And this time it turns out to be a very good thing!

In an earlier post about the Maldivian Civil Aviation Department there was certainly a lot of truth. About the liferaft and other regulations which have been so easily "moderated" for the benefit of the operators regardless of safety concerns. There is no denying this. But now, dear readers, we are getting news of a totally different attitude from CAD.

The recently acquired blue and yellow ATR 42 by Trans Maldivian Airways is not getting airborne because of "short comings" sighted by CAD. Yes! Now you are doing your job!! Apparantly Mr. Bram Steller, who by the way has again proven he does not know anything at all about aviation, thought that he could get the ATR off its wheels without completing all required documentation, maintanence facility requirements and flight operations documentation. What he had in mind was that once the aircraft is in Male', CAD would fall into pressure and let the operation commence without proper facilities and documentation required for the Air Operators Certificate variation.

Mr. Steller thought he could puppeteer ex-CAD officials like Mr. Immak to use his influence to get the AOC "under the table". Now he must realize not everybody is a "Mansoor".

This will be a real turning point in Maldivian aviation if CAD is able to hold its ground. No doubt this will be a difficult task for CAD because for sure Mr. Steller will use all his resources; namely Mr. Gasim (now Speaker of the Special Majlis) and Mr. Afeef (Chariman of MTDC) to pressure Mr. Mahmood Razee.

Our sincere request to Mr. Gasim and Mr. Afeef NOT to interfere with the AOC variation process; this will prove to you that Mr. Steller is not competent to be the leader of your prestigious Airline in many ways.

The ATR touched down at Male' international airport on 24th April 2007. I invite all readers to include in their comments how and when they estimate the ATR to start flying.

1. Will it happen because Mr. Gasim and Mr. Afeef pressure CAD? How long will it be if this is the case?

2. Will Mr. Steller smarten up and get all the necessary requirements complete? And ofcourse how long will it take in this case?

Lets just hope TMA doesn't become the laughing stock of the whole industry because the Managing Director wanted to show off and bring the 4 million dollar airplane before he had all the documentation and facilities in order. How much will TMA spend on this operation before it even gets airborne? Will the airline bounce back? Or will its greatest achivement be the cause of its own demise?

Kee Kuranee Dho