China Airlines Chairman Lee Yun-ning (
"It would be an irresponsible and cowardly act if I were to resign now," Lee said.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIIPEI TIMES
Lee stressed that he couldn't back out at a moment when the most important issue is to face up to reality and find out what caused the accident.
Lee was responding to speculation that he would tender his resignation at a CAL board meeting yesterday.
There were also reports saying that some CAL officials would be punished with dismissal and that the company would cut the pay of employees by 3 to 5 percent.
According to CAL Senior Vice President James Chang (
Although the board meeting did approve some personnel adjustment proposals, these proposals were raised before the crash and had nothing to do with the accident, Chang said.
He also denied that CAL had any plan to cut the pay of its employees.
Chang said the company would never reduce the payroll to compensate for business losses, as all employees are "partners" of the company.
Chang said the company's top concern now is to try to recover its image, which has suffered yet another devastating blow due to the crash.
Based on past experience, an air crash is likely to have an impact on the company's business for approximately four months, during which the number of passengers and profits would fall, Chang said.
He estimated that CAL would lose NT$170 million in annual profits as a result of the disaster.
In addition, CAL has postponed cooperation with the Delta Air Lines after the crash, Chang said (See below).
He said only a small number of passengers have sought refunds for CAL tickets and that the company would continue to watch the market's reaction before deciding on whether to cut ticket prices in July and August to boost sales.
On compensation for the crash victims, Chang would not predict the amount that CAL would offer but promised that the company would "definitely respect the opinion of the bereaved families."
In addition to NT$100,000 in consolation money for the families of each victim, the company would soon pay another NT$400,000 for the funeral expenses of each victim, Chang said.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS