Carrier Abruptly Canceled All Of Its Flights Friday

There are different views of why Albuquerque NM-based regional carrier New Mexico Airlines abruptly canceled all of its flights last Friday ... one from the airline and one from the FAA.

Albuquerque television station KOB reports that the airline says it's concerned about safety issues at New Mexico's Carlsbad Airport, one of its two destinations. The airline's CEO told the station that helicopters landing near the runway present a safety issue, and that's why they halted operations. New Mexico Airline CEO Greg Kahlstorf said he sent a letter to the FAA about the issue six months ago, but never got a response.

The FAA, on the other hand, said that the airline "voluntarily parked its aircraft while it corrects some mechanical issues."

Kahlstorf said that the carrier also canceled flights to Los Alamos, NM ... its other destination ... to avoid "playing favorites" between the two cities, and that the FAA was making excuses for not dealing with the safety issue at Carlsbad.

Kahlstorf said the flight would not resume until that safety issue is resolved, and money was being refunded to passengers on affected flights.

Television station KOAT in Albuquerque reported that Kahlstorf later said that the flights to Los Alamos would resume "in the future," but that the Carlsbad route was ended until his concerns were addressed.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.pacificwings.com