China Airlines shuts door on new talks for compensation

China Airlines yesterday rejected a renewed call to reopen negotiations with the families of those killed last year in the crash of one of its planes into the Taiwan Strait.

The request from the Consumers' Foundation came a day after the Aviation Safety Council issued a factual data report on the crash -- the nation's worst-ever air disaster.

The foundation, speaking on behalf of victims' families, said the report suggests the airline should take responsibility for the tragedy and asked the company to review its compensation offer.

The airline rejected the request.

"The factual data report did not provide the cause of the crash. Nor did it say who is to blame," airline spokesman Roger Han(韓梁中) said.

The investigation report said the ill-fated Flight 611, bound for Hong Kong, experienced in-flight breakup as it climbed above 30,000m some 20 minutes after taking off from CKS International Airport on May 25 last year.

The jumbo jet ploughed into the Taiwan Straits, killing all 225 crew and passengers on board.

The airline has offered a record NT$14.2 million (US$408,000) in compensation to each of the victims following four rounds of negotiations.

"The amount is already four times more than the minimum payment the law requires. We have displayed our sincerity to the families of the victims," Han said.

Some 100 families have accepted the offer, but others have rejected it and filed suit in a US court against Boeing and the airline for what they allege was a case of "ignorance" of safety.

While stopping short of specifying the cause of the crash, the council report did point to the fatigue cracks found on the patches near the the Boeing 747-200's tail, damaged 23 years ago when it struck the runway of Hong Kong's airport during takeoff.

The report ruled out pilot error, external forces, weather and security as causes of the crash.