Tottori — currently senior managing executive officer of JAL and the first woman to climb the ranks from cabin attendant to the company’s new head — vowed Wednesday in a press conference to stick to her commitment to aviation safety and making it a priority.
She will take office in April and replace JAL president and CEO
Tottori’s appointment came two weeks after the fatal collision at Tokyo’s busy
On Jan.2, JAL’s Airbus A350-900 carrying 379 passengers and crew landed right behind the coast guard’s much smaller
All passengers of the JAL airliner were safely evacuated in 18 minutes, but five of six coast guard flight crew died.
Tottori also praised the JAL Flight 516 cabin attendants’ commitment to safety, evacuating everyone on board, and thanked the passengers for their cooperation. “But there was an accident and that means there are things we still need to improve.”
An ongoing probe into the collision has focused on whether the coast guard aircraft was given the green light for takeoff. A partial release of the air traffic control transcript showed no clear takeoff approval was given to the
JAL's serving president, Akasaka, said that he hopes the investigation would provide “lessons to be learned.” He also pointed out that an analog element of relying on voice communication between pilots and traffic control has been an industry-wide safety risk internationally.
“I believe the analog voice communication is definitely one of the major risks," said Akasaka, in his first news conference since the
Tottori, seated next to Akasaka, said her commitment to safety was rock-hard. She started her career as a flight attendant in 1985 when JAL Flight123 crashed into a mountain north of
“The shock at that time is still deeply carved in my heart. And I have maintained a strong sense of responsibility to hand down the importance of aviation safety to younger generations,” Tottori said. “Safety is the foundation of an airline company and I will work on safe operations with even stronger conviction.”
Also Wednesday, Coast Guard Commandant
Ishii promised “full cooperation” with the transport safety board and police investigation into the collision, saying the organization will “do its utmost to reinforce safety measures based on the findings.” But he declined to comment on the coast goard's own findings or the possible cause of the clash.
The coast guard has since suspended flights at its Haneda base, home to the
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