Please, do not pass judgement, says airline

 
AIRLINES PNG has appealed to everyone not to pass judgment at this difficult time until investigations into the causes of the disaster have been established, The National reports.

Simon Wild...'premature to say anything'

Two flight recorders, the cockpit voice recorder which records all conversation in the cockpit and the flight data recorder which records all instrument readings and other technical data throughout the aircraft, have been in Canberra, Australia, since Sunday and their contents are being examined.
Together with detailed forensic investigations of aircraft parts from the crash site and other examinations, investigators ought to collect a body of evidence sufficient to piece together what exactly caused the accident.
APNG chairman Simon Wild said yesterday that until that was concluded, it was premature to make any preemptory judgment that would be prejudicial to the future of the airline and its 530-member work force.
At the same time, the company is making strenuous efforts to contact relatives of those who died, offer condolences and assist them.
Wild spoke with staff of APNG to reassure them the company was doing everything possible to keep jobs safe and secure.
“I am very aware that at a time when so many lives have been lost that the focus is on the here and now. And so it should be,” Wild said in a statement.
“We are continuing to work closely with authorities to establish the cause of Thursday’s accident, and hope to receive some indication in the coming days.
“We have 530 PNG nationals with Airlines PNG and I know how important those jobs are to you, to your family and to the nation. I know that the work we do is essential not only to the PNG economy but to the very fabric of our national society.
“Our pilots and crew fly to and between places no one else goes, bringing cargo to people who otherwise would have difficulty receiving supplies like food and medicine. And it is absolutely vital that we all keep doing all those very necessary task into the future.
“I know that many people in our country depend on us as much as we depend on the citizens of our country.”
The company’s 10 Twin Otter fleet is continuing to service all its charter obligations to resources companies.
Wild said the companies had been gracious and trusted APNG enough to allow it to continue operations.
He said for the past few days the airline had conducted extensive checks of its engineering and safety procedures prior to the ill-fated flight and was confident that all procedures had been followed.