Asiana ordered to halt San Francisco flights after 2013 crash
Asiana Airlines Ltd., South Korea's second-largest carrier, was ordered to halt its daily flights to San Francisco after a crash while landing at the city's airport in July last year killed three passengers.
The carrier won't be allowed to fly to the city for 45 days from Incheon, the airport serving Seoul, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said today. Investigations by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board found pilot error, inadequate training and complex automation system of the Boeing Co. 777 aircraft led to the fatal accident.
Asiana strengthened pilot training, appointed a new chief executive officer and hired an official to oversee safety after Flight 214 struck a seawall short of the San Francisco airport on July 6 last year. The carrier violated U.S. law by not promptly helping victims and family members immediately after the crash, which also injured 49 people, the Department of Transportation said in February.
“The government plans to implement additional measures to ensure proper pilot training at Asiana,” the ministry said.
The government reduced the penalty from the maximum of 90 days because of the crew's efforts to evacuate passengers, the ministry said in the statement. Asiana has six months to comply with the ruling. The order will be finalized if the airline doesn't object within the next 15 days.
Asiana will consider legal steps against the government's decision, the Seoul-based airline said in an e-mailed statement after the government pronounced its verdict. The carrier's shares gained 3.4 percent to 4,630 won as of 2:21 p.m. in the city.
IATA's Support
Since the San Francisco crash, the South Korean government has stepped up regulations to improve airline safety standards, including steeper penalties for accidents involving casualties.
The International Air Transport Association had sent a letter to the South Korean transport ministry last month that the airline shouldn't be sanctioned over the crash. A carrier already suffers significant financial loss from life and equipment, legal liability and damage to image, the group said.
The pilots on Flight 214 mismanaged their approach to the airport, failed to notice the deteriorating speed and lights near the runway showing they were too low, and then didn't abort the touchdown, which they were trained to do, according to the NTSB. The two pilots also didn't communicate as they each made changes to the cockpit automation, the board found.