Argentina’s airline Sudan’s crashed plane had technical problems

June 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Argentina’s national airline, Aerolíneas Argentinas, said it had detected technical problems and declined to charter the Airbus A310 which crashed last at Khartoum Airport this week and killed 30 passengers.

In a press statement released on Thursday Aerolineas said that although in January 2007 it began discussions to charter the Airbus 310, it finally decided to cancel the operation.

“In September 2007 and as a consequence of the technical inspection done by maintenance staff from the company, it was decided to desist on the convenience of incorporating the aircraft to our fleet”, the statement says.

The civil aviation authority and Sudan Airways were probing the cause of the accident, Sudan Airways General Manager Abdalla Idris said on Wednesday, amid contradictory reports on whether technical failure or the weather were to blame.

Airbus said in a statement that it was sending a team of specialists to Khartoum to help in the investigation. It said the plane involved in the accident was 18 years old and had been operated by Sudan Airways since September 2007.

France’s Inquiry and Analysis Bureau, known by its French initials BEA, is also taking part in the inquiry because the plane was made by France-based Airbus.

The plane had flown from Damascus via Amman carrying 203 passengers and 11 crew members.

(ST)