Pilots should be drafted in to help an investigation into why a Finnair passenger jet with 260 passengers on board tried to take off from a taxiway instead of a runway at Hong Kong International Airport, a pilots' professional body urged yesterday.
Taxiway errors and runway incursions are a matter of concern worldwide, and expert pilots could help identify the 'human factors' involved in the incident eight days ago when the Helsinki-bound Airbus A340-300 was halted by an air traffic controller as it began its take-off roll on a taxiway. The aircraft then taxied back to the end of the runway and took off normally.
The incident comes after a Hong Kong Airlines jet bound for South Korea tried to take off from a taxiway in September 2008 and an incident in January when another Hong Kong Airlines plane strayed onto an active runway, forcing a Cathay Pacific flight to abandon its take-off.
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) launched an investigation into the Finnair incident. It said runway and taxiway markings and lighting at Chek Lap Kok have already been improved and that the previous two incidents were the result of 'loss of situational awareness' by pilots.
Yesterday, airline captain Darryl Soligo, president of the Hong Kong Airline Pilots Association, offered expert help to the investigation, saying the association - which represents pilots at Hong Kong-based airlines in the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations - internationally had a dedicated airport and ground environment committee that made recommendations on such incidents.
'Incidents of this kind are of concern worldwide,' Soligo said.