Asia Pacific Airlines to Retrain Crew After FAA Grounds Fleet

DALLAS — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded Asia Pacific Airlines' (P9) fleet of Boeing 757-200Fs back in February. The cargo airline is now using pilot training to get its jets back in the air.

Because Aero Micronesia Inc., doing business as P9, was "unable to demonstrate that its pilots were properly trained," according to the US government agency, the FAA issued an Emergency Order of Suspension to the operating authority on February 1.

According to Adam Ferguson, president of P9, 15 of the 26 allegations regarding the airline's instructor training records were rejected by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after the company appealed the FAA decision.

FAA Regulations

The FAA grants the authority to operate scheduled air service in the form of a Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) 121 certificate. Air carriers authorized to operate under a Part 121 certificate are generally large, U.S.-based airlines, regional air carriers, and all cargo operators.

While it has operations all over the Asia Pacific, P9's headquarters are on the US territory of Guam. As FAA part-121 supplemental all-cargo carrier, P9 must comply with FAA regulations.

After the hearing, the airline official said P9 had to work with the FAA to find a new Training Center and retrain its crews. According to Ferguson, this is happening and the airline anticipates "getting back in the air soon."

Ferguson stated last month that at the time the suspension was issued, P9's pilots were fully qualified to conduct crew training and that the airline was in complete compliance with all training record requirements. However, the FAA had previously warned the airline that it was in violation of the law.

Featured image: Asia Pacific Airlines. Photo: Andrew Henderson/Airways