Originally Posted by
andrasz
Having some insider information on the outfit being the subject of this thread, I am a bit hesitant to agree in full. In principle, you are absolutely right. However this excuse for an airline has been around in the region for over a decade now (they used to have a Hungarian subsidiary too) previously under the Travel Service brand, and people in the profession were constantly amazed by the extent to whivh they were testing their limits, and even more amazed by the fact that they got away with it (both in terms of pure luck, and the regulators seemingly turning a blind eye). Most of the incidents were brushed under the carpet, and I'm sure the whistleblower at BUD ATC had plenty of experience with them. While the public release of this information is certainly not commendable, it likely was a last resort action in face of a growing frustration that they can get away with anything.
The Hungarian ATC person made a seemingly reasonable and informed submission. I've had reason to comment on poor aviation safety in my career too. Do you really think safety is maintained by aviation authority audits of paperwork and a few information bulletins? Sometimes you have to call out bad practice for what it is.
Remember every dodgy operator out there puts pressure on the the ones that do it right to further cut costs, training, maintenance and customer service. We are in a race to the bottom on this industry and we may have seen an example of why this is so.