Luggage saga: Hong Kong aviation workers submit complaint to international organisations over security concerns related to CY Leung’s daughter’s bag
Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation unhappy with Civil Aviation Department’s response to its open letter demanding clarification on checks required for hand luggage
Aviation workers submitted a complaint to three international organisations on Tuesday amid concerns security protocols at Hong Kong International Airport were breached when a bag was delivered to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s daughter from a non-restricted to a restricted area.
The Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation said it could not accept the Civil Aviation Department’s latest reply to its open letter on Sunday demanding clarification on whether all passengers were required to go through security checks together with their hand-carry luggage.
A debate over whether airport security rules had been compromised flared after Leung Chung-yan, the younger daughter of Hong Kong’s top official, left her luggage in a non-restricted area. An airport employee then delivered it to her in the restricted area before she took a Cathay Pacific flight to San Francisco on March 28.
Hong Kong chief executive denies pressuring airport staff to break security rules over his daughter’s left-behind luggage
Leung, who earlier insisted he had not exerted pressure on airport employees to help his daughter, continued to distance himself from the incident on Tuesday.
Responding to reporters’ questions before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Leung said: “How the luggage was handled was decided by security and airline staff. [The decision] was made neither by myself nor Chung-yan.”
Last week, airline pilot and Civic Party member Jeremy Tam Man-ho launched a signature campaign with three international aviation organisations to demand clarification on appropriate luggage check-in procedures. At least 30,000 signatures were collected.
Tam said earlier the procedure used for Chung-yan’s luggage was not common as passengers had to bring their own luggage through security checks. He said that according to the 1961 Vienna Convention, only government leaders and diplomats could have their luggage exempted from checks.
On Tuesday morning, in reply to the federation’s open letter, the department said: “When entering the restricted departure area of the airport, travellers in general carry their own carry-on baggage to [undergo the] security check.
“However, under the premise of meeting all kinds of security rules, airlines can, depending on the actual situation, provide services according to passengers’ needs. But ... all people and baggage, before boarding a plane, must go through security checks meeting International Civil Aviation Organisation rules.”
Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department says security measures were fulfilled in bringing bag to chief executive’s daughter
Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation secretary general Carol Ng Man-yee said the group was “extremely angry” about the reply, which was “unacceptable”. She accompanied Tam on Tuesday to submit a complaint to Airports Council International, the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Air Transport Association.
Additional reporting by Owen Fung
