The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year.
The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year.
The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours of cabin crew and onboard fuel capacity.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
It found three flights made hard landings at airports, and cabin crew on nine flights had been overworked.
The three flights that made hard landings include one CAL flight at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), one Starlux flight at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and another Starlux flight in Kaohsiung International Airport, the agency said.
Among the nine flights where cabin crew were overworked, seven occurred because of force majeure factors, while the other two flights were dispatched by CAL, it added.
The two airlines could be given warnings or fines for contravening the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), with the fine ranging from NT$600,000 to NT$3 million (US$18,309 to US$91,547).
One penalty would be imposed for each case.
The three flights made hard landings probably because the instantaneous wind shear caused by the typhoon’s microburst airflow made it difficult for the crew to operate, the agency said.
However, the flight crews generally complied with operating restrictions on the aircraft type, it said, adding that no damage on the aircraft was found after landing.
Cabin crew on seven flights were found to have worked overtime because they were waiting for ground operations or were unable to open cabin doors due to strong winds.
Cabin crew on a CAL flight worked more than 14 hours because of the airline’s failure to change crew after it landed at a backup airport, the agency said, adding that the airline voluntarily reported that the cabin crew on another one of its flights worked overtime as well.
Prior to handing down final penalties, the airlines have been asked to reinforce flight training for their pilots and change their flight dispatch policies during severe weather, the agency said.
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