Maurice Williamson MP
National Party Transport Spokesman

5 June 2006

King must read riot act to CAA

National Party Transport spokesman Maurice Williamson says Annette King must read the riot act to the Chair of the CAA during their meeting in her Beehive office tomorrow (Tuesday).

"The Transport Minister must call for heads to roll. If she does that, she'll have my support."

Mr Williamson says the Civil Aviation Authority needs a bullet for its lack of progress on serious safety issues affecting the travelling public.

"There is something fundamentally amiss when a coroner finds that an accident which killed eight people was preventable, and the CAA was warned."

The Beehive meeting marks the third anniversary of the Christchurch crash in which pilot Michael Bannerman and seven passengers were killed.

"I would hope the CAA will report significant progress towards implementing some of the Coroner's 21 recommendations, but that shouldn't prevent Annette King from ordering a desperately needed clean-out. "There's no doubt in my mind that the blowtorch needs to be taken to the management structures within CAA," says Mr Williamson.

ENDS

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