Status of ‘virtual’ airline to be probed

AN Isle of Man politician wants his parliament to clarify the status of virtual airline Manx2, one of the companies at the centre of the Cork Airport crash probe.

Peter Karran, Member for Onchan in the House of Keys, the lower, directly elected branch of the Isle of Man parliament, said he will ask Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne in the House of Keys this week whether Manx2 is an airline or just a ticket-provider.

Tickets for the February 10 flight were sold by Manx2.com, based in the Isle of Man. The flight was operated by Barcelona-based Flightline BCN, which had leased the aircraft from Seville-based Air Lada.

But a law firm representing crash survivor Mark Dickens has accused the company of trying to dodge its legal responsibilities to the victims and injured.

Stewarts Law LLP, a London-based specialist aviation law firm, made the claim after Manx2 said Mr Dickens’s contract was not with them, but with the Barcelona company which leased it the aircraft.

Following the publication of the Air Accident Investigation Unit’s (AAIU) preliminary report last Wednesday, Manx2 also said any questions regarding the operation of the flight should be directed to Flightline BCN.

The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association criticised the regulatory framework that permits this “loose relationship” between a “so-called virtual airline that takes passengers’ money, the company that supplies the aircraft and the company that operates the aircraft”.

Mr Karran now plans to raise the Manx2 status issue in his parliament. He also wants to know how much of the company is Manx-owned and whichareas are governed by Isle of Man authorities.