Lionair fleet may be grounded after 2nd accident in 7 months

Philippine aviation authorities were looking to ground the fleet of helicopter and executive jet charter service company Lionair Inc. after one of its aircraft caught fire on Sunday evening and all eight passengers aboard were killed - the company's second accident in the country in a little less than seven months.

"Right now, the initial step that we are looking into is grounding the whole fleet. It's quite alarming, but we are looking into the records deeply," Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Deputy Director-General for Operations Captain Don Mendoza said in a press conference.

A Lionair aircraft caught fire at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday evening, killing all eight passengers of a medical evacuation flight bound for Haneda in Japan.

In September 2019, another Lionair plane crashed in Calamba City, killing at least nine individuals.

"Definitely, we will have a thorough investigation into this, and then we will advise the operator of the actions or steps to be taken," said Mendoza.

Initial reports from the CAAP indicate that the aircraft encountered a technical problem while rolling for takeoff on Runway 06, which has since been closed while an investigation ensues. — DVM, GMA News