World

TransAsia says all its 71 ATR pilots to undergo skills test

Decision comes after a TransAsia ATR 72-600 with 53 passengers & five crew members plunged into a river in Taipei

Afp February 06, 2015

Military police and soldiers stand in front of workers checking the bodies of two victims at the crash site of the Transasia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane in the Keelung river in New Taipei City on February 6, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

TAIPEI: Taiwan's TransAsia Airways said Friday all its 71 ATR pilots will have to take a flight skills test and the airline will undergo a review following its second deadly accident in seven months.

In a statement, the airline said "71 pilots on its fleet of 10 ATR planes will be required to do a test by the Civil Aeronautics Administration and a professional unit to make sure they are all qualified on their jobs."

The decision comes after a TransAsia ATR 72-600 with 53 passengers and five crew members on board plunged into a river in Taipei, leaving at least 35 people dead and eight others missing.

The accident, which followed another ATR crash in the western island of Penghu in July which killed 48 people, sparked concerns about the management and training of the airline.

TransAsia said it had also decided to conduct a year-long review of the company, to be carried out by "an authoritative international team".