The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) announced today that the Government has received and completed the review of the full investigation report submitted by Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA) regarding a flight that temporarily lost communication with air traffic control.
The incident occurred on a London-bound flight from Hong Kong on July 4.
The report indicated that the aircraft’s communication equipment was operating normally. The loss of communication happened because the flight crew mistakenly responded to air traffic controllers’ instructions meant for another flight, leading to an incorrect radio frequency selection. The crew did not subsequently realise that communication had been lost.
Following the incident, CPA implemented a series of improvement measures in mid-July. These include enhancing operational and monitoring procedures for flight crews regarding communication systems, as well as reminding crews to maintain high vigilance at all times.
The department expressed serious concern over the incident and instructed CPA to robustly follow up on the relevant improvement measures. This includes providing additional training and assessments for the involved flight crew.
The department reiterated that maintaining good communication between flight crews and air traffic controllers is vital to ensuring aviation safety. It also instructed CPA to enhance its overall reporting mechanism for aviation safety incidents.
The CAD stressed that it will continue to closely monitor the effectiveness of the safety measures implemented by CPA.