WASHINGTON: The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined Qatar Airways $185,000 for operating flights in regions in which a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight prohibition was in effect while carrying the American Airlines code.
The airline was ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations.
“Airlines have a responsibility to ensure that they do not fly their planes through prohibited airspace,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
“The FAA forbids US flight operations over certain regional conflict zones around the world. The Department takes aviation safety and security matters very seriously, and will continue to take enforcement action when these important safety and security restrictions are not followed,” he said in a department statement.
The department approved a blanket statement of authorization permitting Qatar Airways to carry the American Airlines’ designator code (AA) in conjunction with Qatar Airways’ foreign air transportation.
A condition of the statement of authorization is that Qatar Airways comply with all FAA flight prohibitions.
It is a violation of the statement of authorization for a foreign carrier carrying a US carrier code to operate any flight that enters, departs, or transits the airspace of an area for which the FAA has issued a flight prohibition.
An investigation by the Department’s Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings revealed that in late 2014 and early 2015, certain Qatar Airways flights carrying the AA code operated in foreign airspace while an FAA flight prohibition was in effect.
By carrying the AA code on flights in airspace prohibited by the FAA, Qatar Airways operated in violation of the conditions of its statement of authorization and in violation of federal law, according to the statement.
This matter was investigated and negotiated by Attorney Ryan Patanaphan and Supervisory Attorney Lisa Swafford-Brooks of the US Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, it added.
In response, Qatar Airways states that it takes a very active role in monitoring aviation security concerns in all regions in which it operates.
The airline regularly and routinely publishes airspace-restriction briefs and special crew briefs to increase the situational awareness of its flight crews and advise its personnel about evolving aviation security concerns, according to the consent order published in a document issued by the Department of Transportation.
Qatar Airways notes that it has implemented an Advanced Flight Watch System which allows its Flight Watch Officers to track Qatar Airways flights around the globe, to access real-time weather and airport status information, to communicate with its aircraft about en route weather and safety and security conditions, and to suggest alternative routings and airports if appropriate or needed.
Qatar Airways notes that it initiated the development of this system some four years ago in the absence of any regulatory requirements, and is among the relatively small number of airlines in the world that already has implemented real-time flight tracking and communications capabilities for its worldwide operations.
In response to DOT’s inquiries regarding certain flights, Qatar Airways states that it immediately conducted a thorough investigation and took the necessary remedial action.
Qatar Airways further noted that the errors occurred shortly before its Flight Watch system went fully live in mid-2015.