Casa `out To Destroy Sa Airline'
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday August 1, 2000
The head of Whyalla Airlines accused Australia's peak aviation safety body yesterday of setting out to destroy his business.
Whyalla managing director Chris Brougham said the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) had ``broken" his airline financially and emotionally after the death of eight people in a crash involving one of his planes on May 31.
Yesterday, the airline abandoned its appeal against CASA's grounding of its operations, saying it could no longer afford the legal battle and that the airline would close permanently.
Mr Brougham accused CASA of prolonging the appeal hearing in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, knowing the longer it lasted the more likely Whyalla Airlines would fold.
``CASA should be ashamed of itself," Mr Brougham said.
``We are broken, financially and emotionally. We are tired of the attacks on our personal integrity and our professionalism. We've had enough."
Mr Brougham said CASA was a ``classic case of an organisation under siege using the system as a tool to save its own neck".
``CASA has destroyed our airline," he said.
Mr Brougham said that after the fatal air crash off the South Australian coast somebody at CASA had decided Whyalla Airlines should not fly.
``They set about building a case to back that premise," he said.
``It's an unwinnable case for us.
``Financial drain is one thing, emotional time and input fighting a body that wants you out is hard to sustain."
The airline had spent about $70,000 on the tribunal hearing and estimated CASA had spent $300,000.
Mr Brougham said public confidence in aviation safety was at risk because of CASA's inefficiency and ``obstructionist" attitude.
A CASA spokesman denied the authority wanted Whyalla Airlines shut down.
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury
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