Yesterday was a first for Singapore Airlines, but not one it would choose to celebrate. The airline has never had a fatal crash since its inaugural flight in 1972. Dealing with the crash of SQ006 at CKS International Airport late Tuesday night put the airlines crisis-handling ability to the test yesterday.
SIA announced at a press conference yesterday that the company's Singaporean headquarters has dispatched a plane with 130 staff and officials abroad to assist in handling the crisis in Taiwan.
Sharon Wu (
The deadly accident to the SIA 747-400 aircraft is a setback for an airline that has had an almost glitch-free 28-year history. The only previous fatal accident connected with the airline was when a 737 of subsidiary SilkAir crashed in Indonesia in 1998 killing all 104 people aboard. SIA itself has never had a fatal accident before, said Rick Clement, the airlines' vice president of public affairs.
The airline has given emergency compensation of US$25,000 for each of the 79 people who died and US$5,000 for each of the 100 or so passengers who escaped from the crash, according to Wu.
"We will look after the survivors and consider further compensation later," Wu said.
The Malaysian Captain Foong Chee Kong, 41, and two First Officers Ng Kheng leng and Latif Cyrano, 38 and 36, respectively, both Singaporean, were injured in the crash but were able to speak to members of the Aviation Safety Council (ASC, 飛航安全委員會) to assist in the accident investigation, the ASC said at a press conference at CKS airport yesterday.
"This crash happened in Taiwan. Singapore Airlines will cooperate with the Aviation Safety Council and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA, 交通部民航局) in the investigation," Wu stressed yesterday.
Some have queried the pilots' familiarity with CKS airport. Wu said "We don't know yet how many times the pilots had previously flown to CKS airport. But this airport is an important hub in the region, and the captain had flown a total of 11,235 hours. He should have known the airport well."
Bodies of the dead were badly burnt and hard to recognize. The Department of Health has sent nine dentists to assist identifying the victims.
Soon after the crash, the CAA provided coffins, freezers and generators to help preserve the bodies, CAA Director Chang Kuo-cheng (張國政) said.
Chang added that the CAA has also provided an interpretation service and quickened immigration formalities for families of the dead coming to Taiwan.
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