Cathay pilot's complaint over delay dismissed
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Cathay pilot's complaint over delay dismissed
Cathay pilot's complaint over delay dismissed
A pilot who claimed he suffered intimidation by Cathay Pacific management over a delay in taking off has had his complaint dismissed by the Civil Aviation Department.
The air safety watchdog said it had asked Cathay about the incident and found "it was a technical matter that had to be handled by the operator".
The pilot said the plane had been delayed for almost an hour on July 30 because he suspected one of his cockpit instruments was inaccurate. He claimed the management inquiry into the incident had been intimidatory.
Neither the department nor the pilots' union would comment on the nature of the alleged intimidation.
However, a Cathay spokeswoman said the airline - which sacked 52 pilots during its continuing industrial dispute - would not intimidate staff.
The airline had a responsibility to ensure planes flew on schedule, she said.
A spokeswoman for the department said: "There is no indication that flight safety is an issue in this case."
If the pilot now felt unable to fly safely after the alleged intimidation "there are other alternatives for concerned pilots to choose from".
The law forbids pilots from flying if they feel unwell, she said.
Asked if pilots might decide to fly when they would otherwise not because of fear of intimidation, she replied: "We trust that the pilot makes a professional judgment."
The department had not come to a view on whether the technical fault reported by the pilot was genuine or whether the alleged intimidatory behaviour had taken place, she said.
The general secretary of the Aircrew Officers' Association, John Findlay, declined to comment on the case. However, he said the union often received complaints from pilots about being interviewed, sometimes aggressively, by management over issues such as delays.
Pilots were often not warned about the subject of the interview, were interviewed just after completing a flight when they were tired, or just before a flight when they should be focusing on the job, he said.
A former Cathay pilot said if the airline was making pilots fearful, incidents could arise where pilots flew with safety issues unresolved.
From: http://hongkong.scmp.com/ZZZ0GZZEQQC.html
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Typical.......
A pilot who claimed he suffered intimidation by Cathay Pacific management over a delay in taking off has had his complaint dismissed by the Civil Aviation Department.
The air safety watchdog said it had asked Cathay about the incident and found "it was a technical matter that had to be handled by the operator".
The pilot said the plane had been delayed for almost an hour on July 30 because he suspected one of his cockpit instruments was inaccurate. He claimed the management inquiry into the incident had been intimidatory.
Neither the department nor the pilots' union would comment on the nature of the alleged intimidation.
However, a Cathay spokeswoman said the airline - which sacked 52 pilots during its continuing industrial dispute - would not intimidate staff.
The airline had a responsibility to ensure planes flew on schedule, she said.
A spokeswoman for the department said: "There is no indication that flight safety is an issue in this case."
If the pilot now felt unable to fly safely after the alleged intimidation "there are other alternatives for concerned pilots to choose from".
The law forbids pilots from flying if they feel unwell, she said.
Asked if pilots might decide to fly when they would otherwise not because of fear of intimidation, she replied: "We trust that the pilot makes a professional judgment."
The department had not come to a view on whether the technical fault reported by the pilot was genuine or whether the alleged intimidatory behaviour had taken place, she said.
The general secretary of the Aircrew Officers' Association, John Findlay, declined to comment on the case. However, he said the union often received complaints from pilots about being interviewed, sometimes aggressively, by management over issues such as delays.
Pilots were often not warned about the subject of the interview, were interviewed just after completing a flight when they were tired, or just before a flight when they should be focusing on the job, he said.
A former Cathay pilot said if the airline was making pilots fearful, incidents could arise where pilots flew with safety issues unresolved.
From: http://hongkong.scmp.com/ZZZ0GZZEQQC.html
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Typical.......
