Echoes Of Athens Disaster Causes Fear Among British Passengers

On any other airline, it might have been considered merely a bad run of luck. But on a Helios Airways 737, it was eerily reminiscent of the Greek tragedy that left 121 people dead after their plane lost cabin pressure.

Twice over the weekend, a Helios 737 was forced to turn back on flights from Cyprus because of faults detected in the air pressurization system. Although the suspect pressurization valve didn't control the flow of air to the cabin, the captains in both cases decided turning back was the right thing to do.

As Aero-News extensively reported in real time, a Helios 737 became a flying ghost ship on August 14th when it lost cabin pressure at altitude. The aircraft flew deep into Greece, escorted by two fighters, and eventually crashed when it ran out of fuel.

The two incidents over the weekend were the latest in a series of problems that have plagued Helios flights since the August tragedy.

"Recent forced landings are worrying, particularly in the case of Helios taking into account its small fleet," Transport Minister Haris Thrassou said, quoted by Reuters.

Helios voluntarily grounded the 737-800 after the second incident on Sunday -- just before the Cypriot Transport Ministry ordered it to do so. The aircraft was checked by Boeing mechanics as well as Transport officials before being returned to service.

"Safety was, is and will continue to be our first and only priority," Helios marketing and sales manager Nicos Anastassiades said, also quoted by Reuters.

FMI: www.flyhelios.com