Skymark Airlines Operated Plane Without Repairs

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Mar. 13–TOKYO — Skymark Airlines Co. has operated a Boeing 767-300 for about nine months past its repairs deadline, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said Monday.

The ministry plans to issue a warning to the discount-ticket airline over the matter although the plane in question has had no trouble during the period, ministry officials said.

A dent of 6 centimeters long, 1.5 cm wide and 1 millimeter deep under a front door on the right side was found on the plane during maintenance at a Taiwan airport in June 2004 when it was being operated by a Brunei airline, the ministry said.

A Taiwanese maintenance company later put a plate on the dent to repair it under the instructions of U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing Co. which said more repairs needed to be done in a year, according to the ministry.

The plane was delivered to Skymark in November that year and the Japanese airline began operating it the following month.

At the time of the delivery, the Brunei airline gave Skymark a document saying repairs were necessary, but Skymark operated the plane apparently without being aware of the deadline, it said.

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