TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) criticized Starlux Airlines (星宇航空) on Monday (Nov. 4) for not implementing conservative dispatching during Typhoon Kong-rey. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA, 民用航空局) grounded flight JX871 for inspection after it experienced a hard landing at Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場) due to unstable weather on Oct. 31.
CAA Director General Ho Shu-ping (何淑萍) noted that airlines had employed conservative dispatching during the year's first two typhoons but failed to do so this time. Ho urged airlines to review issues related to dispatching in adverse weather and crew overtime.
In response, Starlux Airlines emphasized compliance with dispatch regulations and claimed they closely monitored weather data during Typhoon Kong-rey to ensure operations met standards. Starlux Airlines stated that unexpected strong gusts affected a few flights on Oct. 31, but all captains followed standard operating procedures, ensuring safe landings.
The airline reiterated that all operations complied with regulations and pledged to cooperate with the CAA's directives, maintaining a commitment to prioritize flight safety.