Korea's Ministry Of Transport Imposed A 45 Day Suspension As A Penalty For San Francisco Accident

South Korea-based Asiana Airlines has appealed a 45 day suspension of its profitable San Francisco route imposed by the South Korean Ministry of Transport.

The suspension is part of the penalty imposed against the airline following an accident involving an Asiana Boeing 777 that landed short at San Francisco last year resulting in the fatal injury of three passengers. An additional 180 were injured in the accident. 

Asiana went on the offense in in its appeal, according to the French news service AFP. The airline has called for the dismissal of the seven-member panel that imposed the penalty. The airline said the semi-official panel was biased towards Korean Air, a major competitor of Asiana. The airline said in a statement that it would begin legal action against the measures if the panel remained in place.

The statement from the airline said that the suspension of the San Francisco route "would cause inconvenience to passengers and ... project a negative image" of the company.

(NTSB image from file)

FMI: http://english.molit.go.kr