Interruptions to ASL’s operations averted; Rubis supplies fuel

By Kurt Campbell

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Air Services Limited (ASL) will be receiving fuel from its supplier Rubis, despite the announcement by it General Manager Annette Arjoon-Martins on Monday (September 30) that its supply would cut off indefinitely which would have resulted in the airline having to ground all flights.

The Management of Ogle International Airport and Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Services (CAMS) in a joint press conference on Tuesday October 1, said ASL panicked unnecessarily to this announcement.

“ASL seems to have created a mountain out of a molehill,” the Airport’s Communication Consultant Kit Nascimento said.

When contacted, ASL’s General Manager confirmed that they did receive a message from Rubis stating that its supply would resume today.

“I’m delighted that our operations will not be interrupted,” she said Nascimento admitted however that there was an interruption in the supply of fuel from Rubis to ASL, in order to facilitate integrity checks by Rubis after discovering that its Into-Plane provider – CAMS – received jet fuel from another provider (GUYOIL) which was commingled with Rubis product.

“I don’t know why the distress, it’s a regular and normal process, the real issues is with the procedure” Chief Executive Officer of the Ogle Airport Anthony Meckdeci told reporters.

He said the checks were carried out and Rubis is satisfied with the procedure and ASL will now receive its fuel supply. He also accused Rubis of commingling its own fuel on at least two occasions in the past and could not understand why an issue was being made out of this.

ASL had expressed concerns on Monday over an apparent monopoly on the supply of fuel at the airport. This concern was dispelled by Xavier, who said there was no monopoly, pointing out that if there was then Rubis could not have possibly provided ASL directly with fuel.

To support his claim, he pointed to the help the airport rendered to ASL in the construction of its own fuel farm. He accused ASL of grossly misrepresenting the situation at the facility.