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Southern Airways Express Grounded Over Maintenance Woes

Both Southern Airways Express and its Mokulele counterpart have grounded their fleets.

A Southern Airways Express Cessna 208 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

Maintenance issues have prompted Southern Airways Express and Mokulele Airlines to ground their fleets for the second time in less than a year. Combined, the two carriers operate a fleet of around 40 Cessna Caravan aircraft.

According to Hawaii’s Star Advertiser, the company stated that Mokulele’s pause in service is due to maintenance and an “abundance of caution.” The airline did not provide details into the issue or how long it would take to fix.

South Arkansas Regional Airport – one of the airports served by Southern – said operations are expected to resume within 48 hours. “At this time, the specific reasons for the nationwide grounding have not been disclosed to us,” the airport said in a Facebook post.

In August, Mokulele grounded several of its aircraft over maintenance problems. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors flagged the issues.

The two airlines are part of the Surf Air Mobility group and serve smaller markets within the U.S. Many of the airlines’ flights are federally subsidized under the Essential Air Service program.

Ryan Ewing
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  • Ryan Ewing

    Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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