Taiwan airline apologises for asking dead flight attendant for paperwork
A Taiwanese airline has apologized for requesting paperwork from a deceased employee in the latest development in a case that has sparked widespread outrage.
A 34-year-old Eva Air flight attendant, surnamed Sun, died earlier this month after reportedly feeling unwell during the flight.
Many people online claimed that he was overworked.
Taiwanese authorities and Eva Air are investigating her death, focusing on whether she was denied medical attention or deterred from taking sick leave.
Ms. Sun reportedly felt unwell during her flight from Milan to Eva Air base in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, on September 24.
He was taken to hospital on arrival and eventually died on 8 October.
Anonymous social media users claiming to be colleagues claimed Ms Sun was forced to continue working even if she was not feeling well.
China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, where he died, did not officially announce the cause of death.
Flight records for the past six months showed Ms. Sun flew an average of 75 hours per month, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported; This is within legal limits. He joined the airline in 2016.
According to Ms. Sun’s family, days after her death, she received a text message on her phone from a representative of Eva Air asking for documents proving that Ms. Sun had applied for leave in late September, during her hospital stay.
The agent asked him to send a picture of his permits. The family responded to the text with a copy of Ms. Sun’s death certificate.
Senior officials at the company said at a news conference on Friday that the text was “an error made by an internal employee” and that they had personally apologized to Ms. Sun’s family for the mistake.
“Ms. Sun’s departure will cause pain in our hearts forever,” EVA Air President Sun Chia-Ming said at Friday’s press conference.
“We will conduct the investigation” [into her death] “With the most responsible attitude,” he said.
CNA said Eva Air has been fined seven times since 2013, mostly for offenses related to staff working overtime.
