THE airline which operates Liverpool’s only direct link to New York has lost the safety certificate which allows it to fly the shortest route across the Atlantic.

Flyglobespan has had its “Etops” certification suspended by the Civil Aviation Authority, meaning its planes can never be more than one hour from an airport.

It is believed to be the first time in 15 years a British operator has had its Etops licence suspended.

It comes as latest passenger numbers from the CAA show a huge slump in public confidence in the route from John Lennon Airport to JFK, which is due to be cancelled from the end of this month.

According to the CAA, just 460 passengers flew between Liverpool and New York last month – the equivalent of fewer than 20 people on each of the 24 flights which operated between the cities. Each flight can hold almost 200 passengers.

Until last Friday, the certification for the Flyglobespan fleet meant the Boeing 737 plane used on the route could be up to 180 minutes away from an airport.

But the CAA has suspended that right, saying it is no longer “satisfied the airline met the safety standards to keep their Etops.”

The airline insists very few of its services will be affected, but its JLA to New York JFK route – which has been beset by problems over the summer – will have to take a longer route, as a result.

Without an Etops licence, the aircraft must travel over Iceland, Greenland and Canada – a slower route which burns more fuel.

That makes it more likely the services may have to stop for refuelling en-route, in addition to picking up passengers at Knock Airport, after leaving JLA.

The Daily Post can also reveal that:

• Passengers on many of the delayed flights between JLA and JFK are still fighting to get money back for paying for tickets on alternative airlines;

• The airline has swapped its Liverpool-branded 757 plane for a smaller 737 due to passenger numbers, even though it increased the likelihood of services having to stop for refuelling en-route;

• The Air Transport Users council is dealing with a “large number” of complaints for “an operator of its size”;

• Both JLA and Flyglobespan remain confident the JFK route will resume next spring.

Last night, the airline said passengers should not be worried about the safety certificate row, and claimed the CAA’s passenger figures did not match its own. According to the CAA figures, at least 3,000 people travelled with Flyglobespan in each of June, July and August, followed by the slump last month.

Flyglobespan last night disputed the figures, claiming it believed around 800 flew from JLA in September (equivalent to just 50 per flight), and around 2,000 a month in previous months.

But a company spokesman did admit there had been a “significant” drop between August and September.

It says it expected a reduction – but when it launched the JFK route in May, it had planned to continue flying throughout the winter.

Originally launched as a daily flight to New York, Flyglobespan reduced the frequency of its services gradually to just three a week, blaming poor ticket sales. It then announced it would terminate the service for the winter at the end of October.

A spokesman for Flyglobespan said the suspension of the Etops licence was due to an issue with sub-contractors.

“Flyglobespan emphasise the temporary suspension has minimal effect on its day-to-day operations, and hope all issues will be resolved and Etops restored in the near future.”

Robin Tudor, spokesman for JLA, said: “We are monitoring the situation with regards to the Etop, but we have been assured the impact will be minimal on our passengers.”

Passengers still fighting for compensation > > >

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