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Island Air said it may need to cancel or consolidate 16 to 20 flights this weekend while awaiting Federal Aviation Administration certification of a new type of aircraft it is phasing into its fleet.
The interisland carrier likely will need to pull out of service one of its two 37-seat Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 aircraft after Friday, according to Island Air spokesman Michael Rodyniuk. That is the day the plane is expected to reach the maximum number of flight hours or takeoff-and-landing cycles before FAA-required heavy maintenance.
Meanwhile Island Air is still waiting for FAA approval to operate a different aircraft, a 64-seat ATR 72. Rodyniuk said he anticipates the FAA signing off on the ATR early next week.
"At this point our staff is looking through exactly what contingencies we would need to get through the weekend," Rodyniuk said. "Once we know the state of our aircraft operations, we’ll be immediately going out to passengers and reaccommodating them (on other airlines) if necessary."
Separately, Island Air’s pilots union said it has ratified a new contract, marking the last of the company’s five unions to come to an agreement. The approximately 45 pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, ratified the contract by a 92 percent margin Thursday. Neither the company nor the union disclosed details of the contract.
