By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Allegiant Air caught heat after a scathing report on “60 Minutes” revealed a wide-range of mechanical failures and safety issues. However, Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Wade Davis says those issues are unrelated to the planes used at the city airport.

“For the past seven months, (60 Minutes) have been scrutinizing 'service difficulty reports' filed by Allegiant with the FAA. They are official, self-reported records of problems experienced by their aircraft. What we found raised some disturbing questions about the performance of their fleet. Between January 1st, 2016 and the end of last October, we found more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions, hydraulic leaks and aborted takeoffs,” an article from cbsnews.com said.

But Davis said the planes mentioned in the report were not used in Ogdensburg.

“The 60 minutes report referenced the MD-80 aircraft service history. Ogdensburg is serviced only by the newer Airbus A320 aircraft, which have a great safety record,” Davis said.

The report acknowledged that Allegiant operates an aged fleet of MD-80s that it is phasing out.

According to the report, the MD-80s are responsible for most of its problems, require a lot of maintenance and reliable parts are hard to come by.

Allegiant Air Vice President of Operations Eric Gust was critical of the 60 Minutes report, referring to it as a false narrative in a statement released to the press.

“It is unfortunate and disappointing that CBS 60 Minutes has chosen to air a false narrative about Allegiant and the FAA. Not only do we expect our team members to adhere to all company procedures and policies—including safety procedures—but many positions are subject to statutory and regulatory obligations. The violation of those obligations would trigger not only punitive action from Allegiant, but could also result in enforcement action from regulatory agencies, loss of a certification, and even criminal charges. To suggest that Allegiant would engage in the practice of asking team members to violate company and regulatory obligations is offensive and defamatory,” the statement says.

Gust was also critical of John Goglia, an expert who was interviewed for the 60 Minutes report.

CBS produced a one-sided narrative by cherry-picking interviews and ignoring publicly-available facts. For example, the show’s star interviewee, John Goglia, is not an un-biased commentator; he is a paid expert working for a former Allegiant pilot who has sued Allegiant. That pilot, Jason Kinzer, claims that he was wrongfully terminated after an evacuation. In fact, Kinzer was terminated because he unnecessarily evacuated a plane “at great risk to the crew and passengers” even though there “was no smoke, fire, or an aircraft malfunction,” and, during a post-flight investigation, he refused to “acknowledge his mistakes” or “demonstrate[] that he was capable of learning and growing from the event going forward.” (See Defendants’ Revised Motion for Summary Judgment, Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, NV, Case No. A-15-727524-C.) Surprisingly, the 60 Minutes presentation of Mr. Kinzer’s case omits this publicly-available side of the story,” the statement said.

Despite the report Davis maintains the flights are safe.

"Ogdensburg International Airport (OGS) is accomplishing great things for the local economy and safety in aviation is number one. OGS commends the professionalism of Allegiant to make the right calls to keep the traveling public safe. Thanks to these professionals, flights out of OGS are operated safely and efficiently using the newer Airbus A320 aircraft," he said.