The Air Operator’s Certificate, a license that is granted by the government agency regulating aviation in a given country, is the single most critical license that an airline needs to run commercial flights.
It is issued once a new carrier proves that it has the needed aircraft, staff and safety systems to operate as an airline and can be suspended or revoked for reasons ranging from bankruptcy to a failed safety audit.
The latest AOC suspension came after nine passengers and a pilot were killed when a twin-engine Cessna 402 plane flying for Flamingo Air crashed on the Andros island in the Bahamas on July 10.
Flamingo Air grounded after fatal crash in The Bahamas
An initial report found that the small aircraft “encountered difficulties” before crashing into the bushes near San Andros Airport from which it was flying in from the capital city Nassau.
The crash occurred on the same day as the Caribbean nation celebrated the 53rd anniversary of its independence and dampened widespread celebrations taking place across the country. One of the passengers aboard was initially named as a survivor but later died from his injuries in hospital a few hours later.
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“Today is a day of celebration but it has become a day of mourning,” Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said at a press conference. “Once again, a chapter in our nation’s story has been marked by tragedy.”
Immediately after the crash, the Bahamian Ministry of Aviation announced that it was temporarily suspending Flamingo Air’s AOC “as a precautionary safety measure.” Another Cessna plane flown by Flamingo Air had encountered a mid-air issue and later caught fire at the airport in Nassau a few hours before the fatal crash.
The operating license will remain suspended pending an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas.
The ministry put out a statement saying that the grounding “should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air” but as a temporary grounding until the investigation is concluded.
Flamingo Air
What is Flamingo Air, a small airline in The Bahamas behind the fatal crash
Flamingo Air, which was founded out of Grand Bahama International Airport in the 1970s, is a small local carrier operating both passenger and charter flights between the country’s main islands.
It has a fleet of commuter-sized planes like the Cessna 402, Beechcraft 99 and one de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. The cause of the crash has not been immediately identified while the grounding means that any flights Flamingo Air may have scheduled for the coming days will leave travelers with booked tickets having to seek alternative travel options.
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In a statement on the accident, Flamingo Air said that it was cooperating with the investigation into the crash while its “thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been impacted by this incident.’
“At this time, the details are being gathered, and we are committed to cooperating with the relevant authorities,” the airline said further in its statement.
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