Flybe, a British-based regional airline, has said it will continue to serve Dublin, Galway and Belfast with Bombardier Q400 aircraft despite a decision by Scandinavian airline SAS to ground its entire fleet of 27 of the same aircraft for what it called "safety reasons".
The Q400 has been at the centre of a safety controversy following crash landings caused by collapsing undercarriages, most frequently on SAS aircraft.
The SAS decision comes amid calls by local Scandinavian politicians to ground the troubled fleet following the crash landing of another of its Q400s in Copenhagen on Sunday. Flybe has suggested the problem may lie with SAS rather than the aircraft.
The Q400 is built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier which in September called on airlines, including Flybe, to temporarily ground and inspect all Q400s with more than 10,000 hours flying time. This followed two SAS crash landings within days of each other.
A high-wing, twin-engined turboprop that can carry up to 78 passengers, the Q400 is designed for operating out of smaller runways and is ideal for regional operators. Dozens of SAS flights aboard Q400 aircraft have been cancelled since Sunday.
Almost all aircraft subject to September's inspections were back in service within days, some within hours, without detecting any serious problems. Bombardier had called on airlines to check undercarriage components for corrosion and repair or replace them if corrosion was found on the threads of a hydraulic unit that extends the undercarriage.
So far SAS is the only airline known to have encountered this particular problem more than once: another four airlines have experienced landing-gear problems this year.
Sunday's incident occurred when the right-hand main undercarriage failed to extend. The aircraft crash landed and severely damaged its right wing. All 44 passengers and crew escaped uninjured.
In a statement released yesterday, Flybe maintained its aircraft serving Ireland were safe, operated to the highest Canadian and British aviation standards and that the Q400 fleet was endorsed by both the UK Civil Aviation Authority and its Canadian counterpart.
In a pointed suggestion that the fault may lie with SAS, Flybe added that it "looks forward to learning of any issues with operating procedures with the aircraft or with SAS's maintenance procedures".