More oxygen bottles found tampered with on Cathay Pacific flights, adding to Hong Kong carrier’s problems
- Beleaguered company had already been investigating previous incidents for more than five weeks
- Sabotage comes at a tough time for the group, with local unrest causing reduced passenger numbers and pressure from Beijing
Hong Kong’s aviation regulator has demanded the heads of both Cathay Pacific Airways and Cathay Dragon improve security measures even further after three more cases of improperly deflated oxygen bottles on aircraft emerged on Friday.
“In view of the similar incidents that have occurred since the safety inspections were implemented, we have summoned the chief executives of both airlines to request security inspection procedures are further enhanced,” the Civil Aviation Department said in a statement.
The suspected sabotage of life-saving cabin equipment added to the problems faced by Hong Kong’s largest airline group, raising questions about the effectiveness of measures taken to stop it, and efforts to catch the culprits.
The latest incident occurred on September 16 on an Osaka-bound Cathay Pacific flight.
A portable oxygen bottle had its shut-off valve mistakenly opened during a routine check by cabin crew. The incident was reported to authorities and police as a precaution, the airline said without further elaboration.
In two previously undisclosed incidents, a bottle each was opened on two Cathay Dragon flights on September 1 and 4, from Da Nang and Kaohsiung respectively.