Hong Kong Airlines is safe despite 'deviations', pilots' body says

The professional body representing local airline pilots has defended under-fire Hong Kong Airlines, saying recent incidents involving the budget carrier had not put safety in jeopardy.

All pilots employed by Hong Kong Airlines are fully trained and qualified professionals, says Captain David Newbery of the Hong Kong Airline Pilots Association. The association represents about 1,000 pilots, who work for local carriers or fly from Hong Kong for international airlines.

The Civil Aviation Department revealed earlier this week that the airline was involved in seven "deviations from regulations" in August and September.

"While any errors are regrettable … they posed no safety threat," Newbery said of the incidents, which included a case in August when the pilot of a flight to Bangkok mistook another plane's runway clearance for his own, and one in which the pilot of a flight to Nanjing failed to heed a change of instructions from air traffic control.

Newbery dismissed suggestions that Hong Kong Airlines pilots were not as qualified as those at other airlines. The government set a standard for pilots, Newbery said, and there was not a problem as long as all the carrier's pilots met that standard.

"It is a new airline. It needs time to put things together," Newbery said. All of the deviations had been rectified before they became dangerous, the captain said, adding: "That's why we have layers of safety measures."