Air Jamaica To Pay Uncle Sam Over Violations
October 9, 2009
CaribWorldNews, BROOKLYN, NY, Fri. Oct. 9, 2009: Jamaica`s already heavily indebted aircraft, Air Jamaica, will have to shell out US$180,000 to Uncle Sam.
The carrier has been forced to pay up to resolve a civil action by the U.S. attorney`s office in Brooklyn over maintenance issues that eventually led to an aircraft making an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in December 2001.
The U.S. Attorney`s Office of the Eastern District of New York announced yesterday that the action arose out of Air Jamaica`s `negligent maintenance of one of its aircraft` which resulted in the emergency landing.
The United States government had alleged that following the emergency landing, Air Jamaica operated the aircraft with damaged parts, and in an un-airworthy condition, on 58 commercial flights before it made the necessary repairs.
Under the terms of the resolution, Air Jamaica must undertake various measures to ensure improvement in its safety program. These measures include the continued implementation of a more rigorous method of tracking maintenance discrepancies, regular meetings with FAA officials, and improved internal auditing of maintenance matters.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York will retain jurisdiction to ensure Air Jamaica`s compliance with the enhanced safety program through injunctive relief and/or increased penalties. Additionally, Air Jamaica will have to shell out almost $200,000 in penalties.
`This settlement represents an innovative resolution that is designed to ensure compliance with the standards set by the FAA to protect the flying public,` stated United States Attorney Benton J. Campbell Thursday. `This Office is committed to airline safety and, to that end, will vigorously enforce the laws that safeguard our skies.`
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