The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has grounded seven De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s operated by regional carrier SkyAlps.
A team of ENAC inspectors conducted an audit at SkyAlps' headquarters in Bolzano, Italy, over Feb. 26-28, the regulator said in a March 4 statement.
Following documentary checks and physical inspections of the aircraft, all registered with the Civil Aviation Directorate of Malta, a series of non-conformities emerged, ENAC said. The regulator reported finding deficiencies in the aircraft maintenance certifications with respect to the flight safety regulatory requirements set by EU Regulation 1321/2012.
Founded as a virtual airline in 2021, SkyAlps secured its own Italian air operator certificate (AOC) in 2023. SkyAlps still mainly uses aircraft operated by Maltese operator Luxwing.
ENAC said it found that certifications provided by a SkyAlps technician in charge of carrying out maintenance were found to not be compliant with European rules. The technician has been banned from accessing all airports where SkyAlps operates by the regulator.
Due to information that emerged during the audit, ENAC said that it agreed with the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate to temporarily suspend the seven Dash 8-400s from flying as a precautionary step in the absence of the correct certifications of maintenance being correctly performed.
The turboprops can return to service after completion of the appropriate corrective actions that must be proposed by SkyAlps and accepted by the ENAC team. To guarantee the complete resumption of flight operations by SkyAlps, ENAC said it is in close contact with the technical staff of the carrier, monitoring developments. The aim is to return the affected aircraft to operations as quickly as possible. There has been full cooperation from the owners and staff of SkyAlps, ENAC added.
SkyAlps continues to maintain its own air operator license (AOC) and is actively working to replace the affected aircraft with other aircraft in order to maintain regular flight operations.
Aviation Week Network's Tracked Aircraft Utilization tool shows that SkyAlps has a fleet of eight in-service Dash 8-400s, seven of which are registered in Malta. The eighth is Austrian-registered and not operated by Luxwing but it has not flown since November 2024. SkyAlps' management have previously shared plans to expand the fleet to 14 aircraft.
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