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Cathay crew used wrong radio frequency, triggering Nato intercept

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said Cathay has rolled out additional training and monitoring after the Romanian airspace communication loss.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Europe

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Hong Kong to London selected the wrong radio frequency after a mistaken response to air traffic controller instructions for another aircraft, leading to a loss of communication while the plane was in Romanian airspace last month, according to a report carried by SCMP Economy.

The department said it completed its review of Cathay’s investigation report and expressed “serious concern” over the incident, which triggered an intercept by a pair of Hungarian fighter jets under Nato protocols.

A department spokesman said the review found the incorrect frequency was due to the crew’s mistaken response and that the flight crew did not realize the loss of communication afterward, while the aircraft’s communication equipment was operating normally.

After the incident, Cathay implemented improvement measures, including enhanced operational and monitoring procedures for flight crews regarding the communication system, and the department instructed the airline to robustly follow up with additional training and assessment for the crew involved.

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