Bikini Atoll - flight problems

[Gordon Mackie]

They got the Dash 8 fixed..and one of the only 2 qualified pilots walked out on them and they can't fly with one pilot.
They have 9 pilots but 8 are only qualified on the small planes (that are grounded due to being too corroded to pass safety checks) and they can't get them trained in Seattle till May.

The Dash also cracked an exhaust pipe but that is being fixed but they can't test fly it due to the pilot walking out

[Scooby00]

This is a copy of my last e-mail from AIR Marshall Islands

Hi Simon,

Here's the latest from the manager of AMI.

I must advise that we still cannot schedule any flights due to an unforeseen
problem with the replacement exhaust shrouds we recently purchased and
received. Although these items are new and come from a reputable source,
they are not fitting our aircraft correctly. As a result, we have had to go
back to the manufacturer to resolve this matter. It is yet unknown if we can
rework these items for a proper fit or be forced to send them back for
replacement.

These items are large and shipping arrangements are difficult, costly and
time consuming. Therefore we are hopeful that we can rework these items
'in-house' pending approval from the manufacturer and civil aviation
authority. If it should become necessay to have replacements shipped in,
then it is likely that resumption of services will be delayed significantly
longer, pending arrival of the replacement units.

Although I don't think that the present situation will impact your planned
travel dates in late April/early May, I cannot at this time confirm that we
will be in a position to provide a service to Bikini on the dates you wish
to travel until sometime later this week. I am sorry that this latest
development may negatively impact your planned travel arrangements.

Best regards,
Dan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel W. Fitzpatrick
General Manager
AIR Marshall Islands, Inc.


It is still not fixed as far as I know

[Loneshark]

The Dash 8 is fairly unreliable anyway, during 2005, it was working for less than half the season.
Apparently the Dash8 (30ish seats) is now owned by AMI after a "gift" from the Chinese Government of $2M (it was previoulsy leased).
Unless things have improved significantly, AMI had trouble a)purchasing spare parts due to credit issues- everything had to be paid for upfront, and b) getting parts sent through via Continental for reasons as above and /or size.
Nothing works quickly in the Marshall Islands.

Looking at some other info, AMI are only showing the Dash 8 as their fleet.

I have heard through the grapevine that there are serious issues with getting out to Bikini as a result of AMI's problems, but this isn't being advertised by AMI or indeed Bikini Atoll Divers on their website.....

As an aside, whilst I was there, we had several groups delayed, and guess what? You don't get to do any extra dives! So you sit with your bags packed awaiting the possibility of a flight which never arrives.......
AMI will not give a definate yes or no, in these cases, and then don't answer the radio, at least they could tell you, no chance today.....so you could go diving.... And then there is travelling in an unpressurised aircraft (assumingthey have one) and having 24 hours clear........

So from experience, it isn't much fun being stranded, or even delayed so you miss all your connecting flights home too.

[Mick Arnold]

Just to up date Bikini problems. We flew out end of March 2008 arrived the Marshall Islands only to be told no aircraft available to fly us on to Bikini. In fact the rep from Bikini Divers asked "What were we doing there" We are currently in dispute with our travel agent over refunds for the trip as we have proof he new before we flew that they had problems not only with aircraft but also pilots. I would be grateful for YD members to send me the names of travel agents used to book trips to Bikini.

[Gordon Mackie]

Dash-8 back next week?
This story is definitely news: AMI’s office is open for business as of Thursday this week, with plans to resume Dash-8 services early next week. Air Marshall Islands general manager Dan Fitzpatrick said that a test flight will be held Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, with follow up inspections of seven outer island runways to confirm they can be used for scheduled flights.

[ross the diver]

i was in Yap on my trip to yap chuuk and bikini when i found out that i the flight is nackered and i went to Majro and spoke to Jack from Bikini divers who told me that the plain has been broke since November and all travel people were awere of this so if you have been let down by this please pm me as i need some info and might be able to help you

Thanks

[Gordon Mackie]

Taiwan government have just given Air Marshall Islands another $600,000 on top of the $2,000,000 they gave them in January. Test flight still planned for tomorrow or Friday

[Gordon Mackie]

From Bikini today...

Hi Everyone,

There is 1 plane flying (Dash 8) and AMI is in the process of purchasing another aircraft.
It will be several months before a second airplane is available.

Should AMI’s 1 plane require parts/service during your (client) visit to Bikini, be aware that AMI will not charter/lease a plane to retrieve anyone. For more information please contact the manager of AMI, Dan Fitzpatrick, at amihdq@gmail.com or amihdq@ntamar.net .

[Scooby00]

Their website was updated on the 25th April and is now showing a new message

A Message to our Customers:
On April 25, 2008, Air Marshalls had its first commercial flight since October of 2007. Air Marshalls is now operating as a one aircraft airline. What this means for our customers is that if the plane should have mechanical difficulties, customers diving on Bikini would be confronted with a delay getting off of Bikini Atoll, and customers waiting on Majuro Atoll to travel to Bikini Atoll would also experience a delay getting there. It is highly recommended that our customers secure travel insurance that will cover mechanical-related delays before traveling to the Marshall Islands and to Bikini Atoll.
-Bikini Atoll Divers

[Gordon Mackie]

Air Marshall Islands Gets First Plane Airborne After 6 Months
By Giff Johnson in Majuro
Friday: April 25, 2008


A more than six-month drought with no domestic air service in the Marshall Islands ended Thursday with the first commercially scheduled flights by Air Marshall Islands.

Using $1.6 million in special grants from the Republic of China/Taiwan, AMI relaunched its 34-seat Dash-8 that had been grounded since October 10.





The other plane, a 19-seat German built Dornier, has been grounded since mid-August and is unlikely to fly until the end of 2008.

The cut off in domestic services caused tens of thousands of dollars in losses to the Bikini Atoll scuba diving business and the deaths of at least two children for lack of emergency medical evacuation services to remote islands.

AMI's Dash-8 plane conducted a successful test flight on Monday, followed by flights to inspect seven outer island runways to confirm their status prior to resumption of scheduled service this weekend.

"The test flight went really well," AMI general manager Dan Fitzpatrick.

"Things are looking good."

Taiwan provided $1 million in mid-January and another $600,000 earlier this month as part of its support for the new government of President Litokwa Tomeing, who took office in January.

With the Dash-8 grounded for so long, only two captains are currently certified to fly the plane and Fitzpatrick said he is searching for a Dash-8 pilot who can be hired on a short-term contract to help out until two more Air Marshall Islands pilots can be trained for the Dash-8. Fitzpatrick said the two pilots will leave Majuro next week for flight training in Seattle, Washington that is expected to take one month to complete.

Getting the Dash-8 airborne is a start, but the airline is under pressure to get its other aircraft, a 19-seat German-made Dornier 228, back in service. Being a one-plane airline is a huge challenge for an airline located in the western Pacific: when a plane is grounded with mechanical problems it may take weeks to get a part shipped in to resume flights ‹ a problem that Bikini Atoll Divers manager Jack Niedenthal said is a major concern to the business that saw international divers repeatedly stranded at Bikini late last year as Air Marshall Islands planes went out of service.

On two occasions the government had to dispatch its maritime surveillance patrol vessel to make the 36-hour trip to Bikini to pick up stranded divers.

The Dornier needs a major factory overhaul, but can¹t be flown off island yet because it is still being repaired and Fitzpatrick is searching for the estimated $1 million or more needed for the overhaul.

Fitzpatrick estimates that it could take up to five months for the major overhaul to be completed and the plane returned for service.

"We're two weeks away from flying the Dornier,² Fitzpatrick said.

AMI hasn't yet made a final decision on where the plane will be sent, and is currently getting price quotes from various factories for the overhaul.

He believes that the price tag could range from slightly under $1 million to as high as $1.6 million for the work.

Complicating the picture is that while it is more expensive to do the work in Germany, where the plane was originally manufactured, doing it there reduces time to get parts and technical advice. He noted that more than 15 years ago, when an earlier AMI Dornier was sent to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for similar work, "it took almost seven months to complete. The distance from the factory in Germany complicated the work."