Mexican aviation authority grounds two AirLink air ambulance aircraft

Mexico’s aviation regulator has temporarily grounded two aircraft operated by air ambulance provider AirLink and suspended the company’s maintenance workshop following an inspection.

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) acted against aircraft XA-GJC and XA-ALV, two of the 13 aircraft in AirLink’s fleet, according to a statement issued by the operator.

AirLink said AFAC identified gaps in the recording of maintenance work, particularly in relation to pilot reports entered in one aircraft log. The regulator also raised concerns about processes within the company’s maintenance workshop.

The operator said the findings did not affect its air operator certificate (AOC), which remains in force, and that its other 11 aircraft continue to operate.

Jaime Díaz, CEO of AirLink, said that the required maintenance had been carried out and the company was providing documentation to the regulator.

“We take the findings seriously and our job now is to correct every item and provide the corresponding evidence to the authority,” he commented. “We are responding to every inspection comment, and (we expect) the two aircraft will return to service when AFAC confirms they meet all requirements.”

AirLink has established a corrective action plan through its safety management system, with responsibility and deadlines assigned to each item identified during the inspection.

The two aircraft will remain grounded until AFAC confirms that the outstanding requirements have been met, while the maintenance workshop will remain suspended until the regulator’s findings relating to its processes have been addressed.

AirLink said it would provide a further update once the aircraft had been cleared to resume air ambulance operations.