Motu Link ATR72 freighter remains grounded after three months

By Andrew Curran.

The sole aircraft belonging to French Polynesian cargo carrier Motu Link Airline remains out of service almost three months after being damaged in an incident at Papeete Airport (PPT), but the airline says the required replacement parts have been ordered.

“We can confirm that the landing gear and the parts necessary to return the aircraft to service are being shipped to Polynesia,” reads a post on Motu Link’s social media page.

Aero South Pacific has contacted Motu Link Airline for further details.

Motu Link’s sole ATR72-500F was damaged on June 25 while being towed at Papeete by its ground handling provider, Air Tahiti. The tow bar “malfunctioned”.

Follow-up assessments determined that the aircraft’s nose landing gear needed to be replaced at a cost of almost USD1 million, excluding installation and freight costs. It was a significant impost on a crowd-funded airline that only began revenue flights in late May.

Motu Link says that once the nose gear and other parts have been received, it will install them and carry out all the necessary checks, maintenance operations and tests to ensure a safe return to service.

“We hope to resume our operations as soon as technical and regulatory conditions allow,” the social media post adds. “In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to move forward as quickly as possible.”

Photo: Motu Link Airline.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com