This is in today's edition of El Nuevo Día newspaper. This is a quick summary/translation done by me. To read the entire article (in Spanish), go to the Negocios section at http://www.endi.com . (Registration required.)

Fina Air was grounded yesterday (Wednesday) when it failed to fulfill FAA regulations during a routine inspection.

Unidentified sources for El Nuevo Día said that although Fina Air's owner, Lázaro Canto, had voluntarily stopped all operations since last Thursday, he did it so that the FAA itself wouldn't do it for him.

According to the source, during the inspection of Fina's planes, these were found to have parts that are not qualified by the FAA for their use. Personnel doesn't fulfill FAA requirements and pilots do not have the proper medical certifications needed for their pilot licenses.

Another source stated that Fina Air published itineraries without the authorization of the DOT, which is another violation.

A regional spokesperson for the FAA couldn't confirm nor deny the above, but could only say that the inspection was ongoing.

Lázaro swore on his children that it was all a lie. He went on to say that the FAA had approved all his manuals and that the company is in order. He continued stating that he has paid Pan Am, Iberia, and other airlines to avoid getting passengers stuck.

He added that a plane from Miami has been chartered to move Fina Air passengers today and tomorrow.

AA and AE denied having a deal with Fina Air to accept F.A. tickets, contrary to what Lázaro had said in the past few days.

In order to fly on AA/AE, passengers must ask for a refund from Fina Air and then book flights on AA.