June 18, 2017
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) fined Emirates with Emirati Dirham 15,600 for violating China’s air safety norms. Also, CAAC has banned Emirates from further expansion of operation in China for 6 months.
The ban came after Emirates violated air safety regulations following two incidents. As been reported, on April 17 Emirates flight crew flew at a wrong altitude above Urumqi Xinjiang after misunderstanding instructions. Likewise, on May 18, the airline’s radio communication was off over the same region.
“Emirates will never compromise on the safety of our passengers and crew. Emirates fully complies with the CAAC’s requirements on all our flight operations to China. Regarding the specific incidents on April 17, 2017, and on May 18, 2017, Emirates will cooperate fully with the CAAC and complete all actions recommended by the authority,” the Emirates spokesperson said.
Officials from CAAC met with Emirates representatives to discuss the issue and produce plans to improve the safety practices.
Emirates conducts flights to six destinations in China including Beijing and Shanghai. Those regions produced 27 percent of the airline’s total revenues at Dh83.7 billion, the largest after Europe, in the 2016-17 financial year.
