Certification of Boeing 777200ER still ongoing

The certification process of the Boeing 777200ER of the national carrier, Surinam Airways (SLM) still has not been concluded. The plan was to get the plane certified by the end of March. After that the plan was altered but the second target date which was in the third week of July has already passed. SLM Director Radjesh Radjkoemar explained that the certification process was not completed before the second target date due to the COVID19 crisis. “It is true. COVID19 caused some delay in the certification process. We must go to the SIM in Miami and there are high risks. Casas which handles the certification process must hire inspectors but the COVID19 crisis has caused a delay. We are busy to finish it fast. We are also looking at alternatives,” the director told Times of Suriname. Protestactie B777 has

announced on social media that the certification process is taking too long. “The certification process started over a year ago. The plane has been parked at the JAP International Airport for over 7 months. This is mainly the result of the attitude of Casas. On Friday, July 24 Casas once again cancelled a mandatory evacuation drill for various reasons which can’t be deemed valid.

Casas is clearly posing as an obstacle during the certification process. And this will result in the SLM going bankrupt,” said the protest group which planned on demanding answers from the executives at the SLM. The new SLM Boeing 777200ER arrived in Suriname in December 2019 and was leased for 18 months so that it could fly passengers on the Mid Atlantic route. The plane must be returned to the lease company in May 2021.