Solid Air air operator certificate suspended.

Dutch language source only:
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/10639312/__Vergunning_Solid_Air_ingetrokken__.html?p=1,1

EINDHOVEN – The air operator certificate of private-jet airline Solid Air has been suspended effective immediately by the Dutch flight safety agency (IVW / Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat).

The reason for the suspension are a number of shortages within the airline that jeopardises air safety. Because deliberate intent is suspected the justice department has started a criminal enquiry.

The matter is particularly damaging as the charter airline routinely flew member of the royal family, members of parliament and various senior civil servants. Queen Beatrix has been on several Solid Air flights.

Two weeks ago the IVW did a raid on Solid Air´s offices and main hangar at Eindhoven airport. At the time the IVW said they had received `several signals´ of various problems within the company. Amongst others these were believed to be lacking registration of flight hours, procedures and other factors linked to flight safety.

Solid Air was particularly lacking in training and testing of pilots as well as logging issus on their airplanes. The preliminary findings were severe enough that the airline was placed under hightened supervision by the IVW. Every flight by Solid Air needed prior autorisation frmo the IVW.

The problems within the company are worse then expected. This has caused the IVW to suspend the AoC. Solid Air has three months to rectify the issues. If they are unable to do so, their AoC will be revoked definitively.

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Solid Air has issues the following statement, in Dutch only:
http://www.solid-airline.nl/download/reactie_persbericht_ivw.pdf

As airline Solid Air complies with all legislation in the field of safety and flight operations. These laws are inspected several times a year by IVW, using both pre-announced and unannounced inspections. Next to these inspections Solid Air also maintains an extensive quality control system to secure the safety of our customers, crew and airplanes. Throughout our existence Solid Air has shown to meet and exceed all demands. Of course it happens from time to time during one of the many inspections, both inspections by Solid Air and third parties, that points are found that are subject to improvement. Following the IVW’s last inspection two focus points have been found:

1) Solid Air has not given timely ground training to a number of their crewmembers. These are refresher courses on the ground (Fire & Smoke training, first aid training) that do no influence the airworthiness of crew or plane. Prior to the inspection our own quality system already noticed this, and refresher courses had already been scheduled.

2) The IVW blames Solid Air for not logging technical problems to the airplanes directly, but that this is only done once a plane arrives at one of our maintenance stations. Solid Air wants to stress that this only happens for minor inconveniences that do not harm the air worthiness of our airplanes in a single way.
Solid Air wants to point out that according to a research by the AEI (Aircraft Engineers International) roughly 80% to 90% of all technical problems are not immediately added to the aircraft’s logbook. This was even brought up before parliament in 2010. This is a well established fact that not only applies to Solid Air but indeed the entire industry.

Of course we take the above findings and the hightened IVW inspections very seriously. As always Solid Air strives to continually improve service and safety for passengers and crew, and will do everything to improve our quality management systems. In the meantime our operations will continue.

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Solid Air has a fleet of 12 planes:

1x Cessna Citationjet I (PH-SOL)
1x Beechcraft premier I (PH-JCI)
2x Cessna Citation Bravo (PH-DYE, PH-DYN)
3x Cessna Citation VI (PH-MEX, PH-MFX, PH-MSX)
1x Avanti Piaggio II (PH-HRK)
1x Bombardier Challenger 850 (PH-AAG)
1x Dassault Facon 2000EX EASy (PH-CHT)
2x Dassault Falcon 900B (PH-NDK, PH-LCG)