China's aviation authorities have imposed temporary restrictions on Juneyao Airlines' operations after one of its pilots ignored air traffic control (ATC) orders to give way to another aircraft that was trying land at Shanghai's Hongqiao airport.
On 13 August, the South Korean pilot of a Juneyao Airbus A320 refused to give way several times to a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER, which had declared an emergency and was attempting to land at the airport.
Upon investigations, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)'s East China Regional Administration ordered Shanghai-based Juneyao to cut its capacity by 10% for three months. It also put a stop to the privately owned airline's plans for expansion and prevented it from setting up new subsidiaries and leasing new aircraft.
The carrier was also ordered to stop hiring foreign pilots temporarily and review the capabilities of its foreign pilots. It has to put its existing foreign flight crew through at least 40h of ground training within 30 days, focusing on civil aviation procedures in China, under the supervision of the CAAC.
The licence of the South Korean captain of the Juneyao A320 involved in the incident has been revoked, and he has been banned from working in China. The co-pilot's licence has been suspended for six months.
The CAAC said that the Qatar 777 was originally bound for Shanghai's Pudong airport on 13 August, but was among 20 aircraft that could not land due to a thunderstorm. The aircraft diverted to Hongqiao and the pilot requested for permission from its ATC to land.
The crew then informed ATC that it was running low on fuel and had only five minutes of flying time left. ATC subsequently arranged for the 777 to land ahead of other aircraft and requested that the other inbound aircraft to give way.
The crew of Juneyao flight HO1112 rejected this command, citing insufficient fuel levels. Subsequently, the 777 flight crew sent out a Mayday call, which led to another command to the Juneyao flight crew.
"During the entire process, air traffic controllers commanded flight HO1112 to give way six times in the space of seven minutes, but the flight crew rejected this each time," said the CAAC.
The 777 eventually landed safely after air traffic controllers employed "other measures", the CAAC added without elaborating.
Inspections of both aircraft after landing showed that the 777 had a remaining fuel weight of 5,200kg and a flying time of 18min. The Juneyao A320 had a fuel weight of 2,900kg and a flying time of 42min.
Calling the Juneyao flight crew's behaviour a "serious violation" of aviation regulations, the CAAC said the crew had violated the "career integrity" of pilots.
It added that the flight crew of the Qatar 777 had acted appropriately, but noted that they had failed to gauge the aircraft's fuel levels accurately. The CAAC has referred the matter to the Qatari civil aviation authorities, it said.
In response to the CAAC's order, Juneyao said its flight crew has expressed regret over the incident and added that the carrier will carry out the orders of the agency.
"Juneyao takes the lesson from this episode seriously and will work hard to improve itself and further improve its pilot training. The company promises that safety is our top priority, and we will commit ourselves to protecting our customers and providing the best service," said the airline.
Qatar Airways said that its 777 captain declared an emergency en route to Hongqiao in order not to compromise flight safety. It adds that it is "working closely with the local authorities in China to establish the full facts of the incident".
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
