Ensuring Aircraft Engineers Are Not Penalised for Safety-related Delays

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Transport in view of an Australian ruling that an engineer was unfairly dismissed by his employer after Singapore Airlines complained about a 17-minute delay while clearing fault diagnostic messages on its aircraft (a) whether CAAS requires such disciplinary action to be reported where the aircraft is Singapore-registered; (b) if so, what action follows; and (c) how CAAS ensures engineers are not penalised for safety-related delays.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) does not require Singapore air operators to report disciplinary or employment actions involving their contractors' staff whether these occur in Singapore or overseas. However, if an individual's actions result in a safety incident whether in Singapore or overseas, CAAS will investigate and take enforcement action if appropriate. As no safety incident had occurred in this case, there were no grounds for a CAAS investigation.