SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian aviation regulator ANAC on Tuesday suspended the operations of regional airline Voepass citing safety concerns, around seven months after a crash near Sao Paulo killed all 62 people on board one of its aircraft.
The move is the latest blow to Voepass following the crash, one of the world’s deadliest last year, after the company last month filed for a debt restructuring that could eventually lead to bankruptcy protection.
Voepass’ regional flight 2283, an ATR-72 originating from Cascavel and heading for Sao Paulo, crashed on August 9 in the town of Vinhedo.
A preliminary report found signs of ice buildup on the plane but no definite cause.
ANAC had been monitoring Voepass closely since the accident and said in a statement there had been a “breach of trust” regarding the firm’s internal processes, leading to the temporary suspension.
“ANAC’s decision stems from Voepass’ inability to solve irregularities identified during the supervision, as well as the violation of previously established conditions for operations to continue within the required safety standards,” it said.
Voepass confirmed that it had received the suspension order and would seek to demonstrate that it meets the safety levels required by the regulator.
“The company reiterates that its fleet is airworthy and capable of carrying out flights in compliance with strict safety standards,” Voepass said in a statement.
The carrier, which flies ATR turboprops, is Brazil’s fourth-largest but had less than 1% of national market share.
According to ANAC, it had six aircraft operating in 15 locations, in addition to two charter deals.
ANAC ordered Voepass in October to implement measures such as reducing its network and increasing the time aircraft spend on the ground for maintenance in order to solve irregularities.
In late February, a new round of inspections showed the “degradation” of the firm’s management system and the “systematic failure to comply with requirements”, the regulator said.
“Therefore, ANAC ordered the suspension of the company’s operations until it is proven that it can guarantee the level of safety required by current regulations.”
Brazil’s ports and airports ministry backed the decision, saying it had been following the supervision process and that the temporary move was aimed at making Voepass improve its governance and strengthen aviation safety in the country.
(This story has been corrected to fix the date of crash to August 9, not August 11, in paragraph 3)
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier, editing by Ed Osmond)
