Flight Students Grounded by Aviation Regulator

More than 30 students from the Pacific Flying School, based at Nadi and Nausori airports, remain unable to complete their Multi-Engine and Instrument (IFR) training due to delays linked to regulatory requirements.

Joyce Aviation (Fiji) Group managing director Tim Joyce said the students - some self-funded and others on scholarships, including TSLS (Tertairy Scholarships and Loans Service) - had been left stranded as they wait for approval from the C ivil Aviation Autho r ity of Fiji (CAAF) to operate the school's twin-engine aircraft.

He described them as "innocent victims of a regulatory system that is outdated and subjected to inconsistent and arbitrary requirements imposed by different CAAF inspectors."

The students are unable to graduate without completing their training and, in the meantime, many are paying accommodation and living expenses while awaiting a resolution.

Mr Joyce said the school procured Beechcraft Duchess aircraft to provide internationally recognised standards of multi-engine training.

However, after one aircraft was damaged during a training exercise in 2023, replacement aircraft bought from Australia became entangled in new regulatory requirements.

Aviation students remain in limbo as the dispute continues.

He said unprecedented demands, such as inspections in Australia before the aircraft could be flown to Fiji, led to costly delays and the loss of critical logbooks.Further complications arose when CAAF grounded several training aircraft because their engines had been serviced by an Australian facility that had long held approvals recognised by CAAF but was suddenly deemed non-compliant.

Mr Joyce claimed this resulted in unnecessary costs and delays for the operator and students.

In response, CAAF chief executive officer Theresa Levestam said the authority's foremost responsibility was to ensure that Fiji's aviation system operated "at the highest standards of safety, integrity, and compliance."

She said CAAF understood the impact on students but emphasised the importance of maintaining international best practices and public confidence.

"Coordination with the operator concerned has been ongoing, and we have made every effort to assist and facilitate solutions that uphold both safety and regulatory integrity," Ms Levestam said.

The aviation students, however, remain in limbo as the dispute continues.