French training school fleet suffers unprecedented arson attack
Commercial flight training provider Airways Aviation France has suffered what appears to be a suspected arson attack in the early hours on the morning, leaving at least three aircraft completely destroyed and inflicting substantial damage to many more.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 20 May at Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport, wrote the flight school in a statement, clarifying that “the perpetrators unlawfully gained access to a secure apron area within the airport grounds and attempted to set fire to an entire fleet of training aircraft”. News outlet France3 reported that around thirty firefighters were on site to bring the blaze under the control. Although nobody was injured in the attack, “most of the fleet has suffered severe damage,” continued the school.
Founder and chairman of Airways Aviation Group Romy Hawatt described the “disturbing and unacceptable act of planned sabotage” as “a personal blow,” adding that the school will “take every measure necessary to ensure the future safety and security of [its] people and assets”.
No motive for the crime has yet been made public, although with the French police now treating the areas as a crime scene, a specialist team from Paris has also been deployed to assist with the ongoing investigation. “Due to the breach of airport security, the attack constitutes a serious criminal offence,” confirmed Airways Aviation Group in a statement.
Although the school stated it is “working diligently to mitigate disruption and ensure continuity of service where possible,” Hawatt nevertheless concluded that “the destruction of our aircraft will have severe consequences on our operations”.
