CAAC deepens investigation of pilot qualifications

CAAC deepens investigation of pilot qualifications.

[Corrected version] CAAC, which has been conducting widespread safety inspections of China's airlines in the wake of last month's Henan Airlines Embraer 190 crash that killed 42, confirmed that an investigation carried out in 2008-09 revealed that more than 200 pilots had falsified their resumes. Of these, 103 were employed by Shenzhen Airlines, parent of Henan Airlines. The regulator noted that the vast majority of the pilots had been suspended, however, it added that this did not mean the problem had disappeared which is why it initiated a new round of investigations into pilot qualifications.

In addition to pilots, CAAC is also investigating aircraft mechanics, flight instructors and other aviation personnel and vowed to punish any disqualified personnel. In a recent meeting on the crash aftermath, CAAC Minister Li Jiaxiang called on Chinese carriers to "slow down pursuing commercial profit appropriately [and] give priority to improving safety level[s]."

In the crash aftermath, the Henan provincial government ordered the carrier to change its name back to Kunpeng Airlines to minimize damage to its image (ATW Daily News, Aug. 30).

Earlier this month, CAAC ordered China Express Air to suspend operations after the airline experienced a landing incident when the right wing of one of its CRJ200s scraped the runway at Guiyang in southwest China (ATW Daily News, Sept. 2). The regulator on Monday allowed the Guiyang-based carrier to resume half of its flight operations but still suspended its longer domestic routes owing to safety concerns.