Bose Vavataga 
Pacific Flying School Director Tim Joyce.
Pacific Flying School has firmly denied claims by Acting Minister for Civil Aviation Ifereimi Vasu that engine overhauls were performed without approval, saying the regulator approved the facility for years.
Director Tim Joyce says Suncoast Aviation was approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji each year and that engines were commissioned in good faith.
He says the authority only raised concerns in April this year, grounding seven engines, despite never flagging safety risks in previous audits.
He says the dispute worsened when the regulator blocked the entry of two training aircraft purchased in September last year, forcing costly delays.
He says the aircraft were kept idle in Australia while inspectors carried out what he described as a brief and superficial review, later returning logbooks with key records missing.
The school says more than 50 students have been left waiting for multi-engine training, with their future careers now on hold.
“We were very concerned at that stage, we had about 30 students waiting for their multi-engine training, I believe it’s now around 50, and the delays were extremely costly in parking charges and so forth, and I only had a narrow window to be able to bring one of the aircraft over with another ferry pilot.”
He is calling for an independent investigation, claiming the regulator has created unfair delays and acted without clear justification.
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