Capt. Wingwave in the news !!!
Published on Wednesday, 29 April, 2015 at 10:42
(CS) The Italian subsidiary of freight airline Cargolux repeatedly violated flight safety rules, a letter from the Luxembourg Directorate for Civil Aviation (DAC) shows.
Cargolux Italia in 2011 in at least seven cases violated rules on flight and duty time limitations. On a number of routes the airline did not have enough qualified pilots on staff, leading to a shortage on flights. Regulation foresees that at least two qualified pilots are in the cockpit for all flights, which is increased to three on flights with a duration of more than 13 hours.
An external audit was launched in Italy; however, Luxembourg authorities were not made aware of the issue until December last year. The DAC contacted Italian civil aviation authority ENAC, which confirmed the allegations.
The DAC's then director Christiane Weidenhaupt in turn sent a letter to Cargolux, a copy of which was made accessible to the “Luxemburger Wort”.
The vice-president flight operations apparently involved in the violations left Cargolux Italia four years ago. “[The pilot] informed us of his resignation. For this reason we did not launch an official procedure against him,” a letter from ENAC to the DAC states.
However, the pilot returned to parent company Cargolux and after two years was promoted to the flight safety division. He is currently in discussion for a position on the airline's executive committee.
Wing-wave and safety concerns
Just half a year ago, the VP flight operations made headlines for a so-called wing-wave manoeuvre during the take-off of a new Cargolux Boeing from Seattle. He was in the cockpit at the time as the responsible flight safety officer.
The wing-wave was not the only incident raising concern over flight safety. In 2013, Cargolux carried out the transport of the Solar-Impulse plane from Switzerland to the US. However, several other airlines had refused the job over the short runway at Payerne airport. It was suggested that Basel or Zurich would be more suitable.
Cargolux nonetheless carried out the flight. Videos and photos on the internet documenting the landing in Payerne raise safety concerns. Once again, the same VP flight operations was on board.
Cargolux CEO Dirk Reich commented to the “Luxemburger Wort” that flight safety is a top priority for the airline. He was not aware of the DAC's letter until Tuesday, he claimed. “I never got that letter,” Reich said.
General assembly
Cargolux management on Wednesday will gather for a general assembly, with the airline set to present its 2014 figures.
The freight carrier has recently experienced some turbulence, with negotiations for a new collective work agreement with unions far from reaching a conclusion. Unions have criticised a decision to transfer planes to Cargolux Italia, which they regard as a first step in outsourcing of activities.
Additionally, the recent dismissal of four pilots for allegedly violating the conditions of sick leave saw the airline suspected of using private detectives to spy on its employees.
Reporting by Laurence Bervard