A number of Zest Airways passengers were stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 on Saturday; a day after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines grounded Zest Air Inc. for not complying with various flying safety breaches.
Zest Air has cancelled some 19 domestic flights on Friday and 30 domestic and two international flights on Saturday, including those bound for Kuala, Lumpur, Malaysia and China.
The passengers stand in line outside Terminal 4 not aware that Zest Air’s operations had been postponed.
According to the stranded passengers, Zest Air staff told them to wait at the airport as they were rebooked on other available domestic flights.
Meanwhile, Zest Air chief information officer Joy Canebo said that the airline has addressed all the concerns raised by the CAAP since it was placed under heightened surveillance on July 30.
Last Friday, CAAP acting head John Andrews grounded the fleet of Zest Air for several violations of the Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations (PCAR).
Thus, the airline’s air operator certificate was suspended and would only be reinstated once the safety concerns are resolved.
For the moment, Zest Air yesterday conveyed confidence that the issues raised by aviation authorities would be resolved within the week, paving the way for the possible lifting of the suspension order on the airline.
