Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Jun 21/00) - Skyward Aviation Ltd. has had its air ambulance licence suspended by the Manitoba Government.

The carrier's president, Frank Behrendt, said his company has been hit hard by the move, which came with no warning.

In a letter sent to Skyward customers,which was obtained by Kivalliq News, Behrendt acknowledges Skyward had two recent close calls in Manitoba, but said research proved human error to be a significant factor in the accidents.

"Both pilots received devastating personal news before their flight, were distracted and made mistakes.

"Neither pilot should have been flying, but chose to. The industry relies on pilots to evaluate themselves, but, obviously, this was not enough.

"We have, therefore, instituted a pilot pre-flight check we believe is the toughest in the industry.

"We did that before the province stepped in."

The Department of Manitoba Highway and Government Services's Harlan Mushumanski would not confirm the suspension, but said a review is taking place.

"It would be kind of premature for us to say anything before the review is completed," said Mushumanski.

"We're hoping that will be done within the next couple of weeks, but we don't have a completion date."

Susan McLennan, a communication officer with Transport Canada, said the suspension is solely an action the province of Manitoba has taken against Skyward.

"Skyward Aviation meets all the requirements of its air operators certificate which was issued by Transport Canada," says McLennan.

Skyward provides air ambulance service between the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut and Manitoba.

No warning

Behrendt says the province did not hold a hearing before suspending Skyward, nor has Skyward been allowed to view the report.

"Interestingly, the review is being supervised by the Manitoba Government Air Services Branch," said Behrendt.

"They operate air ambulance services and carry government passengers just like we do. They operate under a private operator certificate issued by Transport Canada, while we operate commercially under stricter standards.

"Otherwise, they are a competitor. Them judging us doesn't seem right."

Mushumanski says the review will not adversely affect air ambulance service in the Kivalliq.

"With provincial emergency plans, they usually allow for contingencies such as unavailable aircraft and that sort of thing, so, at this point, there would be no risk to residents of Northern areas."