MANILA, Philippines - Budget airline Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR) announced on Tuesday that all of its LET410 flights will be temporarily discontinued beginning on Wednesday, June 30.

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

"This is to comply with the instruction of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).  SEAIR apologizes to the flying public for this inconvenience," the company said in a statement.

However, SEAIR said flights to Caticlan; Batanes; Tablas, Romblon; Clark; and Cebu will continue.  SEAIR has daily flights to Caticlan and Batanes, with at least seven flights a day to Caticlan.

SEAIR said the move was in response to an order from the CAAP to modify the LET410 for systems safety reasons.

"The CAAP directive, which covers all LET410s operating throughout the Philippines, 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.  LET 410 operators were given three weeks to comply," SEAIR said.

In response to the changes, SEAIR announced that "it will be bringing in additional 32-seater Dornier 328s starting August 2010 to beef up operations in the growing markets of Batanes, Caticlan, and Romblon." 

SEAIR said "the acquisition of new planes is part of the SEAIR fleet expansion program."

In a statement, SEAIR gave this description of the LET410:

"The LET410 is a twin engine short-range aircraft, manufactured by the Czech aircraft manufacturer LET, mostly used for passenger transport.  The LET410 and the Dornier 328 are capable of Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) in about 750 meters with full pay load.  These aircrafts are the most appropriate for the small runways of Caticlan, Palawan, and other destinations where bigger commercial planes cannot land." 

SEAIR said "there are presently 14 LET410s and four LET410 operators in the country...With more than 1,100 produced and used worldwide." It said "the LET 410 is the most popular 19-seater plane in history."