A former vice president of South Korea’s top airline, Korea Air Lines Co., was indicted Wednesday on charges of obstructing aviation safety after she ordered a crew member to deplane over in-flight service last month.
Announcing the interim outcome of their one-month probe, investigators at the Seoul Western Prosecutors’ Office said they have charged Cho Hyun-ah, the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, with violating the nation’s aviation safety law and criminal code.
The charges against Cho include violations of aviation safety regulations — changing flight plans and assault on a plane — and coercion and interference in the execution of duty, according to the prosecutors.
Cho resigned as a vice president for cabin service four days after a national uproar over her conduct aboard a Seoul-bound Korean Air flight from New York on Dec. 5.
The plane had already been taxiing when she ordered the chief flight attendant to deplane over the way she was served macadamia nuts — in an unopened pack instead of on a plate. She was angry because she believed the crew did not follow the proper procedure for serving nuts to first-class passengers.
The flight was subsequently returned to the gate to deplane the purser, causing an 11-minute delay in its arrival at Seoul’s main gateway, Incheon International Airport. More than 250 passengers were on board.
Cho had already been detained since Dec. 30 after a local court issued a warrant, citing “the gravity of the issue as well as the organized efforts to cover up her involvement from the initial stage.” (Yonhap)
