Singapore Airlines admitted full responsibility for the crash of flight SQ006.
Blame was placed on the pilot's 'dreadful error' in attempting to take off from a decommissioned runway (Observer, 5/11).
However, as details unfolded, questions were raised as to how an experienced pilot could have made such a mistake, particularly as the black box recording confirmed he had thought he was on the correct runway.
However, insinuations that partial responsibility lay with unsatisfactory safety standards at CKS International Airport angered Chang Yu-hern of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, who claimed SA 'was attempting to dodge responsibility' (China Post, 5/11).
Singapore Airlines, coping with its first fatal crash, offered victims' families pounds 275,000 compensation, a sum five times the amount stipulated by international law. Despite criticism for the slow release of crash details and conflicting reports of fatalities, the airline was praised for its 'professional handling' of the crisis in an industry where 'the tolerance for human error is virtually zero' (Bangkok Post, 6/11).
Analysis and commentary by Echo Research.
Cuttings by Durrants. More information can be found at: www.echoResearch.com.
