Delta Air Lines has been blocked from deploying one of its 767-300 aircraft to Accra, following repeated technical difficulties with the 25-year-old aircraft. Furthermore, Ghana has asked Delta not to use any 767-400 on its flights to Accra.
In a letter to the US airline, which was published in local media, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) reported that Delta Air Lines aircraft, a 767-300 with the registration code N195DN suffered a “fuel imbalance” issue on July 31 and August 1.
It was the second time in two days that this particular plane had to return mid-flight due to a mechanical issue, reports aviation blog One Mile At A Time.
“This was the same aircraft that had to return to JFK on 25th Jul 2022 a few hours after take-off from JFK and which was widely reported on in various media outlets.”
This specific plane has been used recently on the New York, US to the Ghanaian capital, Accra, route, but it seems that Ghana has run out of patience with the ageing aircraft after a series of faults and delays.
The letter from GCAA added that “it was expected that after such negative reportage, Delta Airlines would have thoroughly investigated the issue to arrive at the root cause of the failure before dispatching the aircraft on flights”.
“Rather, the aircraft was flown within the United States several times and then dispatched again to Accra, only for the problem to reoccur.
“The Authority finds this unacceptable.”
Below is the full statement:
TEMPORARY DENIAL OF DELTA AIRCRAFT WITH REGISTRATION N-195DN
Following the events of 1st August 2022, when your aircraft with registration N195DN was forced to return to the gate due to a technical problem, a team of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) inspectors were tasked to investigate the circumstances surrounding this occurrence.
The investigation revealed that:
1. The crew reported a fuel imbalance issue with the left main tank.
2. The inbound crew experienced this same issue on the flight leg to Accra i.e., on 31st July 2022.
3. This was the same aircraft that had to return to JFK on 25th July 2022 a few hours after take-off from JFK and which was widely reported on in various media outlets.
It was expected that after such a negative reportage. Delta Air Lines would have thoroughly investigated the issue to arrive at the root cause of the failure before dispatching the aircraft on flights. Rather, the aircraft was flown within the United States several times and then dispatched again to Accra, only for the problem to reoccur.
The Authority finds this unacceptable. Therefore, with immediate effect, Delta Air Lines is being advised not to dispatch the B767-332 with registration number N195DN for flights to Accra.
As your ageing B767 fleet is of much concern to Ghanaian travellers, Delta Air Lines must put in place a plan to change the type of aircraft on the JFK-ACC-JFK route as soon as practicable. Kindly communicate this date to the undersigned in your response.
While the current ban applies only to N195DN, Ghana has asked Delta not to use any 767-300 on the Accra route.
Featured Image: Aviation ToulouseÂ
