The US Department of Transportation has fined Asiana Airlines, which it said failed in its duty to assist passengers and their families in the wake of the San Francisco airport crash last year.
The DOT levied a $500,000 fine on the Korean airline and said it ‘did not adhere to the assurances in its family assistance plan," a requirement of federal law for foreign carriers.
The DOT said the day after the crash Asiana did not publicize an information hotline number widely enough for the concerned relatives of passengers and did not have adequate resources deployed to carry out a response plan.
Three people were killed and over 180 passengers and crew were injured in the July 6 crash when a Boeing 777 hit a wall on landing at San Francisco International Airport.
The circumstances leading up to the crash are still being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The DOT said it is the first time it has imposed a fine for failure to comply with the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997.
