Accused Of Tampering With An Airplane's Oxygen System

Two employees of Cathay Pacific Group have lost their jobs after they allegedly tampered with the oxygen canister aboard a Cathay Dragon aircraft.

The partially-discharged canister was discovered on a flight September 21 on a flight en route to Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, according to a report from Fox news. Several other instances of tampering with oxygen canisters on Cathay Pacific planes are under investigation.

In a statement from Cathay Pacific published by the South China Morning Post, the Cathay Pacific group said: "Cathay Dragon immediately reported the case to the Hong Kong Police, who have launched a parallel investigation into the matter. The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has been informed.

The statement indicated that there have been a total of seven canisters found to be compromised. “The airline is taking the issue very seriously. Safety and security are always our greatest priority.”

The canisters are used by the flight crew in the event of cabin depressurization. They allow the crew to continue to move around the aircraft while on supplemental oxygen.

The motive for the tampering was unclear. Cabin crews have been instructed to inspect certain plane compartments, as well as the oxygen canisters, prior to each flight going forward.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report