Was Grounded In April Over Safety Concerns

After it was grounded back in April for safety reasons, Mexican airline Aero California is back in the air with five of its 28 planes... but there's no word yet on when it will actually resume scheduled service.

The carrier was suspended April 2 after a two-week long review by Mexican transportation officials... who found Aero California mechanics were cannabilizing decommissioned planes to keep others flying.

Company executives say there was never a safety problem... but those same transportation officials disagreed.

The Associated Press reports even Mexican President Vicente Fox got into the act... asking his Transportation Department to hurry their review of the situation so Aerocalifornia could get back into the air again.

The Transportation Department did so... but they added that aviation authorities were closely watching the airline "to ensure that the carrier meets all established safety measures."

Prior to being grounded, Aero California operated a fleet of DC-9s on routes between 22 Mexican cities, and Los Angeles.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_California