Court supports suspension of Asiana's San Franciso flights over 2013 crash

A Seoul court Friday supported a 45-day suspension on Asiana Airlines as a punitive measure following a crash landing in San Francisco in 2013. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the carrier, which filed the suit against the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to annul the suspension. If the decision is upheld at a higher court, the carrier will have to stop operating on the Incheon-San Francisco route for the designated period. "Asiana Airlines did not train its pilots sufficiently, and this resulted in the accident," the court said. "The carrier may be subject to fines instead of suspension, but the maximum fine will be around KRW1.5b and this is far short of the punitive effect which suspension would bring," it said. The carrier said it would also appeal this latest ruling. <br/>