The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has declined to comment on a report that it flagged serious safety concerns at Air Arabia Maroc (3O, Casablanca Mohamed V) regarding scheduling practices that allegedly compromise fatigue management guidelines.
"EASA does not comment in any way on the outcomes of our Third Country Operators (TCO) decisions or the process that led to any given outcome," a spokeswoman informed ch-aviation.
The airline did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
This followed a report by Morocco World News alleging that a September EASA audit highlighted eight critical (Level 1) and one significant (Level 2) safety violations at Air Arabia Maroc. Key issues included alleged violations of flight and duty time limitations, claims of improper scheduling during required rest periods, and purported delays in updating the airline's Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for its A320 fleet.
Additionally, the airline’s head of flight operations was allegedly implicated in overlooking regulatory breaches.
EASA launched its investigation into Air Arabia Maroc following a confidential report pointing to operational and maintenance issues that could compromise flight safety. As a result, the airline was placed under intensified surveillance, including on-site assessments at its Casablanca facilities, according to Morocco World News.
Air Arabia Maroc, a subsidiary of Air Arabia (G9, Sharjah), currently operates a fleet of twelve A320-200s, including one wet-leased from Electra Airways (3E, Sofia), according to ch-aviation fleets.
