The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has suspended Silverstone Air from flying its Dash-8 planes they use for passenger flights for a period of seven days.
KCAA has also suspended the licences for Safe Air and Adventure Aloft.
This follows a series of accidents that have caused a scare in the aviation industry, forcing the regulator to begin investigations.
Responding to the suspension, Silverstone said that it has temporarily suspended all scheduled services effective November 12, 2019.
“During this period, we will continue to work with our customers to help minimize any disruption to their travel. We are in the process of contacting all our clients to re-protect them,” said Silverstone in a statement.
In late October, a plane operated by the local carrier crash-landed after losing one of its wheels.
The aircraft, a Dash 8 300, with registration number 5Y-NOP was headed to Nairobi from Lodwar when one of its tyres fell off during take-off forcing the pilot to crash-land at Eldoret International Airport in Uasin Gishu County.
Read: Silverstone Air Aircraft Crash Lands At Wilson Airport Shortly After Take Off (Photos)
The incident happened just hours after another Silverstone’s aircraft hit and damaged another plane at the Wilson Aiport in Nairobi.
In a separate incident in October, a plane operated by the carrier skidded off the runway and crashed shortly after take-off leaving at least nine passengers with injuries.
The aircraft that was headed to Lamu crashed shortly after takeoff due to overloading and disregard to the safety regulations at the airport.
Recently, this desk revealed that the Dash8 plane should not operate from Wilson Airport, owing to the design of the airport which is designed to serve smaller planes.
A week ago, after the accidents, Silverstone Air suspended operations on three of its routes including Nairobi-Homa Bay, Nairobi-Wajir and Nairobi-Lodwar following below par performance in the routes.
Read: Why There Are So Many Accidents Happening At Wilson Airport
Homa Bay Route was launched two months ago, but has been unable to break even following stiff competition and online attack following a number of accidents that have hit the local airline.
“The temporary suspension of scheduled flights on these routes is purely a business decision. However, the chartered services on these routes are still active. Maasai Mara is a seasonal route, thus scheduled flights occur during peak seasons,” Silverstone told Business Daily.
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