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Six-month green light for Helitours
View(s):The Civil Aviation Authority has renewed for six months the Certificates of Airworthiness (CofA) granted to two Xian MA60 aircraft used by Helitours to transport commercial passengers.
Helitours is the Air Force’s commercial passenger service. The CAA’s decision follows the submission of documents that the regulator had wanted for its annual assessment of the airworthiness of the company’s aircraft.
The CofAs are usually valid for one year. However, they have been granted for only six months until all other requirements are satisfied by Helitours. The company also possesses CofAs for two Bell-412 helicopters which are certified for commercial use.
There are no CofAs for the Harbin Y-12 or the Mi-17 aircraft owned by Helitours. Certification for one of the MA60 aircraft (registration 4R-HTN) initially expired on June 30, 2015. The other one (for the plane registered as 4R-HTO) lapsed shortly afterwards. However, both planes are now certified to carry commercial passengers.
Ever since it started operations, Helitours had been securing the certification on the basis of incomplete data. “The fact that the Airworthiness Certificates issued by the CAA had expired does not mean these aircraft are unsafe,” an official earlier said. “But the airworthiness of the aircraft cannot be ascertained in the absence of those documents.”
The company is cooperating with the Authority now to fill the gaps.