China
Airlines pilot punished after being filmed sleeping in cockpit
The video shows the pilot
in the cockpit with his head down and eyes closed.
HONG KONG - China Airlines, Taiwan's biggest carrier, says it has punished a
pilot after a video of him taking a nap in the cockpit mid-flight was posted
online.
His co-pilot, who filmed the incident, has also been reprimanded, local
television station SETN reported.
In the video, a middle-aged man in a pilot uniform and headphones appears to be
asleep with his head down and eyes closed while in the cockpit of a Boeing 747.
Sleep-deprived teens who take afternoon naps more alert, but potentially have
higher risk of diabetes
The footage drew attention after it was shown in a report on Taiwanese TV
network EBC on Wednesday (Feb 20). The man was identified as Mr Weng Jiaqi, a
senior pilot with almost 20 years of experience who was promoted to chief pilot
last year.
It was unclear when or on which flight the video was filmed, but the airline
confirmed that Weng had reported his behaviour and been punished while his co-pilot
had been reprimanded for "improper behaviour", SETN reported.
Mr Weng, who also supervises training, is a short-haul pilot to cities
including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tokyo, Okinawa and Seoul,
according to the EBC report.
The incident comes after the airline last week reached a deal with the pilots'
union to end a seven-day strike over working conditions and benefits that
forced the cancellation of more than 200 flights.
But China Airlines told EBC that the video was filmed before the pilots walked
off the job.
The Taoyuan Union of Pilots began the industrial action on February 8,
stranding close to 50,000 passengers and inflicting over NT$500 million
(S$21.93 million) in losses on the carrier.
Under a deal signed on Feb 14, the union agreed not to strike again in the next
three and a half years. In return, China Airlines agreed to the union's main
demand to increase the number of pilots on various flights to combat fatigue
and improve safety.
The carrier will roster three pilots on flights of more than eight hours - up
from the present two - and will have four pilots on flights over 12 hours, up
from three.
China Airlines president Hsieh Shih-chien said the staffing increases were
expected to sharply add to the cost of the company's operations, but the
carrier agreed to the terms in the interest of safety.
Abonner på:
Legg inn kommentarer (Atom)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.