CAA fines Tigerair Taiwan after passenger boarded wrong aircraft

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) has fined Tigerair Taiwan NT$150,000 (US$4,767) over a December mishap that led a passenger to board the wrong aircraft.

The passenger was originally scheduled to fly from Kaohsiung to Tokyo Narita on flight IT280, but instead mistakenly boarded flight IT284 bound for Osaka.

Ground staff did not immediately detect the error during the initial ticket check, and it was only discovered shortly afterward.

The passenger was then asked to leave the aircraft and the incident was reported to the CAA.

In a statement, the aviation authority said gate staff failed to properly verify the passenger's identity, leading to the person boarding the wrong aircraft, in violation of civil aviation security rules. It said it had fined the airline NT$150,000 under the Civil Aviation Act.

The CAA publishes monthly information on penalties or warnings imposed on airline operators on its website, covering various types of regulatory violations. The December incident involving Tigerair was listed in its April report after an investigation concluded.

The CAA said it has asked Tigerair to review the incident and submit a report on what corrective measures it has taken to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

In another case, the CAA said that in August last year, Tigerair flight IT234 from Taoyuan to Sapporo, Japan, failed to follow air traffic control instructions during cruising, resulting in an altitude deviation. It said an investigation found the aircraft did not comply with its air traffic clearance.

In response, Tigerair said both incidents were promptly identified, handled in line with procedures, and reported to the authorities.

The airline said it accepts the penalties and warning issued by the regulator and has completed relevant improvements.