The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department is investigating nine incidents in which pilots of Hong Kong Airlines disregarded instructions by traffic controllers. Although passenger safety was never compromised in these instances, which include pilots taxiing onto the runway at Hong Kong International Airport without permission and failing to follow instructions from traffic controllers between August and September, the Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said that one incident is one too many. The airline has been requested to submit a report on its safety.
Although seven of the incidents were technical infringements committed by pilots who did not follow instructions on maintaining altitudes and directions, two were related to pilots deviating from instructions. One of the most serious was on August 8, when a pilot misunderstood a clearance given to another flight for takeoff and had entered the taxiway. Because there was no other plane on the runway, the flight was allowed to proceed for takeoff for reasons of safety.
A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Airlines said last night that they have always put flight safety as top priority, adding that the incidents mentioned were either caused by weather conditions, similar flight numbers and other factors.