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Russian aircraft: do they meet safety standards?
The Civil Aviation Department has revealed that Russian-built aircraft are unable to conform to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and local regulatory requirements, and as such may not meet flight safety standards.

The newly appointed Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) H. M. C. Nimalsiri, having assumed office in July 2002, immediately summoned an “Industry Meeting” on September 2 and took up for discussion the policy document titled “Domestic Aviation” dated March 19 and briefed the industry on the importance of the “Standards and Recommended Practices’ (SARPs) and their compliance, which was made mandatory by September 15, 2002 with no compromise or any deviation being allowed.

A vital safety aspect under discussion was “Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)/Aircraft Manuals in English language” which appeared as a non-compliant feature concerning Ilyushin IL-18, Antonov AN-24 and AN-12 aircraft types.

The recent grounding of 17 IL-18 type aircraft by the Commonwealth of Independent States Civil Aviation Authority following an investigation into an explosion and subsequent crash of an IRS Avia Ilyushin IL-18 on November 1 revealed that the IL-18 type had defects that were not rectifiable.

It is learnt that several messages have been sent by the DGCA H.M.C. Nimalsiri to the Ilyushin aircraft manufacturer and so far he has not received any response with regard to the said defect and the grounding of the aircraft.

It is the practice and tradition of any aircraft manufacturer to inform its clientele of such incidents, modifications, progressive maintenance methodologies and improvements by way of Special Reports, Service Bulletins, Service Letters and the respective CAAs of the countries of origin will intimate to their counterparts in the rest of the world by way of Airworthiness Directives.

It appears that this practice does not exist with the Russian aircraft manufacturers and their respective regulatory bodies, leaving the operators (outside Russia) in the lurch and the issue not addressed, leading to adverse effects on aircraft safety.

Recent newspaper articles only focused on the commercial competitiveness aspects of the route, ignoring safety. The European control authority has imposed a ban on most of the Russian aircraft from operating into the majority of European airports from April 2002, permitting few models such as Tupolov TU204s and 214s which are currently compliant with the ICAO regulations.

The Maldives and Indian CADs have prohibited operation of Russian aircraft by their local operators due to non-compliance with ICAO safety requirements and the communication difficulties with Russian aircraft manufacturers and their respective regulatory bodies.

It is learnt that, anticipating the restrictions on the use of Russian aircraft in Sri Lankan airspace, local operators are looking at Western aircraft such as Shorts-330/360 (Shorts Bros, UK), Saab-340 (Sweden), De Havilland Dash-8 (Bombardier, Canada), and Metro Fairchild (USA). The only Western aircraft being operated now is a HS-748 Avro (UK) by Lion Air.

These aircraft are currently compliant with the ICAO requirements and the respective manufacturers do have close links with the owners/operators and continue to provide technical information in respect of all air safety matters.

Introduction of non-Russian/Western aircraft will not only produce a level playing field, but also will permit operators to conform to mandatory ICAO requirements, easy and direct access to aircraft manufacturers by the DGCA, transparency of operation, high safety standards, satisfactory safety oversight monitoring by the DGCA and better acceptability of the Sri Lankan aviation industry.

It is noteworthy to mention that an event (incident/accident) may be inevitable, regardless of whether the equipment is Russian or Western. But through investigation, the findings and recommendations could be reached in a satisfactory manner with the latter type to enable corrective and remedial measures to be circulated as a future preventive action.
Capt. Suranjan de Silva, Aviation Consultant and Flight Examiner

UAL maintains normal flights
“It will be business as usual,” United Holidays Sri Lanka Managing Director Afghar Mohideen said last week in response to queries over the future of United Airlines, the US Carrier.

The airline is flying and all its flights through the Asian and European gateways, which affect most Sri Lankans flying on United, are on schedule with no changes, Mohideen said. United Holidays (Sri Lanka) is the General Sales Agent for United Airlines in Colombo.

The same services and facilities will be offered with no changes whatsoever, Mohideen assured. United Airlines last week filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, which is expected to facilitate its restructuring that is designed to restore the firm’s long-term financial health while operating its normal business.

UAL said that during its Chapter 11 case, the airline will maintain its ability to continue its global operations and continue its commitment to customers. Chapter 11 permits a company to continue operations in the normal course while it develops a plan of reorganization to address its existing debt, capital and cost structures.

Glenn F. Tilton, chairman, president and chief executive officer of UAL, said, “United Airlines will continue to provide customers with the same experience and level of service they have come to expect. We stand by our commitment to provide customers with convenient schedules, quality onboard services and the most extensive route network in the U.S. and abroad.

Most importantly, throughout this process, customer safety will continue to be our number one priority. We have a solid record as a safe and reliable airline, and we intend to maintain and build upon that record.”

United has been given 18 months’ protection from creditors to recover from a financial nosedive that left the world’s second-largest airline bleeding about 20 million dollars a day.

Amendments to the Indian Companies Act protect investors
In the recent past several amendments have been made to the Indian Companies Act to protect investors namely:-

Amendments to the Indian Companies Act provided for the appointment of Companies Tribunal apart from the Company Law Board and empowered the Central Government to remove managerial personnel involved in cases of fraud, etc.
Contributions by companies to political parties was prohibited. Donations to charity are limited.
Unlike in the past all foreign-owned companies and their subsidiaries were brought within the purview of the Amended Act.
The appointment of Managing Directors, Working Directors and full-time Directors as well as their emoluments and perquisites would need the Company Law Board’s approval.
Annual General Meetings may be allowed to held on Sundays.
Relatives of Directors not to be appointed Auditors of the Companies.
Companies are not required to appoint a full-time Company Secretary. Companies must submit along with their Annual Returns a certificate from a practicing Company Secretary regarding compliance of various provisions of Companies Act.
Another important amendment is protecting the interest of investors by providing for Company Law Board’s intervention against non-payment of monies due to investors.
The law also provided for companies to attach only an abridged version of the Balance Sheets and Auditor’s Report to members and required companies to hold a poll or general meeting at the instance of the shareholders having a minimum stake in the company.
The maximum remuneration payable to a manager cannot exceed 5% of the annual net profits and the remuneration to the Managing Director shall not be more than 10% of the annual net profits.
The management fee shall not exceed Rs. 87,500 for a month. If the company wishes to obtain an increase of the management fees it has to show their accounts to the Company Law Board and obtain their approval.

Anton Fernando,
Colombo 7.

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