An international civil aviation group says it wouldn't be appropriate for it to get involved in a long-standing dispute between Tonga and New Zealand.
The controversial MA-60 aircraft, gifted by China to Tonga last year, led New Zealand's foreign minister Murray McCully to suspend tourism aid funds and issue a travel warning, amid doubts over the process used for its type accreditation.
A member of Tonga's Tourism Authority, Shane Walker, says he was told the International Civil Aviation Organisation may have stepped in to solve the stand-off, but the organisation has distanced itself from the comments.
A spokesperson for ICAO says its airworthiness manual outlines the standards that countries like New Zealand and Tonga would look to when developing their own regulations for accreditation.
Amid rumours of an agreement being reached between the two countries, Mr McCully declined to comment, as did Tonga's deputy prime minister, Samiu Vaipulu.
