– Pilots Strike Case in China Eastern Airlines
Story Briefing:
On March 31, 2008, 14 flights of China Eastern Airlines Yunnan Branch turned back to Kunming without landing at their destinations. Passengers were told it was due to poor weather conditions.
However, the weather did not affect flights from other airlines to the same destinations.
The real reason was a strike by disgruntled pilots, according to the April 2 Guangzhou Daily.
China's airline industry has been hit by a number of pilot protests in the last few weeks. On March 14, 40 Shanghai Airlines pilots took sick leave. On March 28, eleven pilots from Wuhan's East Star Airline requested sick leave.
An April 1 emergency meeting of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) blamed the strikes on a lack of qualified pilots and poor consultation procedures. CAAC said pilots who took strike action on March 31 would be severely punished, and strike leaders may face a lifetime employment ban.
Company background:
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited is one of the three major airlines in mainland China. It has a history dating back to the first Shanghai squadron of the PLA Air Force built up in 1957. In 1997, China Eastern became the first Chinese airline listed simultaneously in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai stock market. The company operates 50 overseas offices and 11 domestic branches. Moreover, it holds controlling shares of over 24 subsidiaries including Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern Yunnan Airlines, China Cargo Airlines Co., Ltd and China United Airlines. China Eastern serves nearly 70 million travelers annually and ranks among the world’s top 5 airlines in terms of passenger transportation volume. Following the concept of “providing heart-to-heart service to our customers”, China Eastern strives to become an excellent aviation service integrator that is “cherished by staff, preferred by customers, satisfied by shareholders and trusted by society”.