IN A MEMO directed to Civil Aviation on December 10, 2003, the Cyprus Regional Manager for the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority P.A. Varley warned that unless six gaps in aviation safety were addressed, there would be an “increased risk of a serious accident” involving a Cypriot plane.
On August 14 of last year, a Helios airliner smashed into a mountainside just north of Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board. Most of the victims were Cypriot families going on holiday.
According to Politis, which published the document yesterday, one of the trouble areas that Varley urged be addressed – that private Cypriot carriers do not receive frequent and thorough inspections – seems to have played a role in the Helios crash.
“We strongly recommend that this document is brought to the attention of the Ministry and incorporated into the future aviation policy of the Ministry and Department of Civil Aviation,” Varley wrote in the memo to the then Civil Aviation Authority Director Stelios Vasilliou.
The Communications and Works Minister at the time was Kikis Kazamias. The Director of Civil Aviation and the relevant Aviation Safety Official were both out of the country yesterday and so Civil Aviation could not comment on their response to the memo and on whether or not it had been forwarded to Kazamias.
Varley followed up the letter with more memos about the gaps in aviation safety and the undue laxity regarding proper inspections, especially regarding small private planes.
The six weaknesses that Varley identified were:
1. The large number of aircraft registered in Cyprus but operating out of other countries due to the ease with which licences are given, thereby making Cyprus a “flag of opportunity” for overseas and private carriers. As Civil Aviation has little control over the operations and inspections of these aircraft, Varley recommended that Cyprus either assign staff specifically to inspect these craft or make licensing conditions more stringent. Currently there are 150 aircraft registered in Cyprus, many of which are based offshore.
2. The high frequency of aircraft striking birds at the Larnaca and Paphos airports during takeoff and landing, costing companies tens of thousands of pounds every year in damages and increasing the likelihood of serious accidents.
3. Insufficient maintenance of single-engine and dual-engine aircraft, many of which do not meet even the minimum ICAO and JAA standards.
4. The dispensing of Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) to companies with insufficient funds and technical experience.
5. Insufficient examination standards for those testing for private pilot licences.
6. Illegal transportation of the public for compensation by pilots licensed to fly private crafts but not licensed to transport the public.
In light of the Helios crash, the concluding lines of Varley’s memo sound a darkly prophetic note:
“Failure to act on these issues will not only impact on the international credibility of Cyprus in the aviation field, it will also lead to an increased risk of a serious accident involving a Cyprus registered aircraft.”
