Head of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority resigns over misconduct related to MH370
(Baonghean.vn) - On July 31, the head of the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority resigned after a report on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 pointed out violations by the air traffic control center in Kuala Lumpur.
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| Mr. Azharuddin Abdul Rahman arrived at the meeting on MH370 held in Malaysia on July 30. Photo: Reuters |
The report released on July 30 into the plane that suddenly disappeared four years ago during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board offers little new information about one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation history.
In his resignation statement, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the report pointed to shortcomings by air traffic control in following standard operating procedures, but did not hold the aviation authority responsible for the plane's disappearance.
“Therefore, with regret and after much thought and reflection, I have decided to resign as Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, effective 14 days from the date of this resignation notice today,” he said.
In a 495-page report, investigators said the plane's controls were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course, but they could not determine who was responsible.
However, the report highlighted failures by Kuala Lumpur air traffic control, saying controllers failed to initiate standard emergency procedures, and there was no record of them taking warning actions or continuously monitoring radar screens.
Speaking at a press conference in parliament, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said an internal committee would be set up to come up with recommendations and possible actions for air traffic controllers who were working during the time of the MH370 crash.
