Beijing, Sep 29 (IANS) An inspection of the qualifications and regulatory knowledge of foreign pilots employed with local airlines in China is being carried out after a South Korean pilot last month declined to give way to a jet running low on fuel.
Juneyao Airlines, one of whose pilots was at the centre of the controversy Aug 13, is the first airline to be inspected by Shanghai’s civil aviation regulator, the Shanghai Daily reported.
Six of the Shanghai airlines, including China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Juneyao and Spring Airlines, employ 219 foreign pilots.
An official of the East China Regional Administration under the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said the inspection is part of a routine programme that includes both foreign and domestic pilots.
In this instance, only foreign pilots are being inspected. The regulator will also check pilot training and management and the professional ethics of pilots by the end of next month, the official stated.
The incident had occurred last month, in which a Juneyao pilot refused to give way to a Qatar Airways flight that was running low on fuel as both aircraft waited to land at Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport.
The pilot has been banned from flying an aircraft as a crew member in China for life, while the co-pilot’s licence has been suspended for six months.
