MANILA, Philippines - Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR) has announced that all LET410 flights have been temporarily discontinued starting yesterday.

The affected destinations are El Nido; San Fernando, La Union; Marinduque; Zamboanga; Tawi-Tawi; and Jolo, Sulu.

In a statement, SEAIR said this is to comply with the instruction of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and that it is apologizing to the flying public for the inconvenience.

SEAIR, however, said flights remain operational to Caticlan, Batanes, Tablas (Romblon), Clark, and Cebu.

SEAIR has daily flights to Caticlan and Batanes, with at least seven flights a day to Caticlan.

SEAIR also announced that it would bring in additional 32-seater Dornier 328s starting August to beef up its operations in the growing markets of Batanes, Caticlan, and Romblon.

The acquisition of new planes is part of its fleet expansion program, SEAIR said.

The CAAP directive, which covers all LET410s operating throughout the country, calls for 15 cabin and aircraft systems’ safety modifications, the most major and costly of which is the installation of two additional exit doors in each aircraft. LET410 operators were given three weeks to comply.

The LET410 is a twin-engine, short-range aircraft built by the Czech aircraft manufacturer LET, and is mostly used for passenger transport.

The LET410 and the Dornier 328 are capable of short takeoff and landing in about 750 meters with full payload.

These aircraft are the most appropriate for the small runways of Caticlan, Palawan, and other destinations where bigger commercial planes cannot land.

There are presently 14 LET410s and four LET410 operators in the country. With more than 1,100 produced and used worldwide, the LET410 is the most popular 19-seater plane in history.