"A Terrible Tragedy"
The following is a statement issued Monday night (local
time) by Helios Airways, in the wake of Sunday's crash of a 737-300
in Greece:
Helios Airways Chairman, Andreas Drakou, said today that the
accident to flight ZU522 was a terrible tragedy and that the
company is providing immediate financial and other assistance to
the families of all those affected by the appalling event.
ANN Contributor Nathan Morley is in
Cyprus. By clicking here, you can listen to his
report.
"Yesterday was a tragic day for all of us," he said, "In an
effort to alleviate, as much as possible, the pain and anguish of
the families, Helios Airways, in co-operation with the Government,
activated its emergency procedure and immediately arranged to set
up a meeting center for the families of the passengers at a Larnaca
Hotel."
He said that the Cyprus Government, in order to assist the whole
process, relocated to the airport for this task. Managers and staff
of Helios Airways were dispatched to the airport to assist and give
support to the families of the passengers and crew.
The company extended its apologies and deepest regrets to the
families of the passengers and crew for the delay in announcing the
names on the passenger list. The company had followed the
International procedure and regulations established by the Cyprus
Department of Civil Aviation.
Services Should Not Be Affected
Helios Airways
confirmed today that its Scheduled services will continue to fly as
programmed, despite the terrible tragedy that occurred
yesterday.
Helios Airways is owned by the Cyprus based travel company Libra
Holidays Group (LHG). LHG also owns the leading hotel chain DH
Cyprotels, and the UK based tour operator Libra Holidays.
A spokesman for the group's UK tour operation, Libra Holidays,
which has about 3% of its flying with Helios, said today that it
also did not expect any significant changes to customers holiday
plans.
Approved Maintenance Program
Drakou said that the aircraft in question was a Boeing 737-300
manufactured in 1999 and entered the Helios fleet in April 2004.
Prior to its departure the aircraft was duly inspected in line with
standard procedures.
Helios Airways is co-operating fully with the technical
investigation and has provided a technical team to assist the Greek
Authorities. The investigating body will release any information
regarding the cause of the accident.
Notes
1. The airline will
provide immediate financial assistance to families affected by the
tragedy in line with the Montreal Convention and EC Regulations,
Helios Airways will provide and initial payment of approximately
19,000 euros per passenger to help families with their immediate
needs pending future compensation.
2. The company had followed the International procedure and
regulations established by the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation
on passenger information. The personal data of passengers and crew
was handed over to the authorities in due time. The lists contain
the same exact data which is held by the airlines all over the
world as per International regulations.
3. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-300 manufactured in 1999, was
previously operated by Deutsche BA and entered the Helios fleet in
April 2004. The aircraft followed the approved maintenance
programme laid out by the Manufacturer and the Civil Aviation
Department which is in line with JAR-OPS (European Joint
Airworthiness Regulations) standards.