LCQ18: Occupational safety and health of air crew members
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Question:
Some members of the sector have relayed that, air crew members are required to deal with a wide range of unforeseen incidents while providing in-flight services, including verbal disputes between passengers, physical confrontations, various security incidents and breaches of regulations, and requests for medical assistance. This, combined with the need to work long-term day and night shifts, meet high service standards and work in confined spaces, places additional psychological strain on air crew members. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the respective numbers of unforeseen incidents that occurred in the passenger cabin on flights departing from or arriving in Hong Kong over the past three years (broken down by type of incident); of the reporting mechanism in place;
(2) whether the Civil Aviation Department has provided local airlines with guidelines or mechanisms for air crew members to handle unforeseen incidents in the passenger cabin; if so, of the details and the review cycle;
(3) whether it knows if local airlines currently provide adequate mental health counselling and support for their air crew members; if so, of the details; and
(4) given the geopolitical tensions in recent years, should war or other emergencies occur at a flight’s destination, forcing the air crew members to remain stranded there, whether the HKSAR Government will require local airlines to establish overseas emergency support teams for the crew or put in place contingency mechanisms to maintain close contact with them and provide appropriate support, thereby ensuring their personal safety?
Reply:
President,
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has promulgated stringent standards on aviation safety. As the regulator of civil aviation affairs, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has been comprehensively regulating the operations of local airlines in accordance with the requirements of the ICAO and the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Cap. 448C) through the established regulatory regime and monitoring mechanism. Local airlines are subject to strict scrutiny by the CAD on a routine basis (including conducting flight inspections and operational records inspections, and also requiring local airlines to effectively implement safety management systems and formulate policies and procedures relating to risk assessment and emergency response mechanisms) to ensure that flight operations comply with airworthiness and safety standards, thereby ensuring aviation safety. At the same time, airlines are also required to implement aviation security measures in accordance with the Aviation Security Ordinance (Cap. 494), its subsidiary legislation, and the Hong Kong Aviation Security Programme. This includes formulating corresponding procedures and arrangements for handling in-flight security incidents, unruly passengers, and other situations that may affect aviation security, with a view to ensuring aviation security.
In consultation with the Security Bureau and the Labour Department (LD), the reply to the Member's question is as follows:
(1) and (2) According to the standards and recommended practices of the ICAO, airlines are required to formulate standard operating procedures that comply with cabin safety guidelines to handle various in-flight incidents relating to aviation safety or aviation security. In addition, pursuant to Article 86 of the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995, the CAD requires all local airlines to report incidents involving aviation safety to the CAD under the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) Scheme. Upon receipt of relevant reports, the CAD will conduct a review and, where necessary, conduct investigations with the airlines and assess the investigation results. For aviation security incidents, airlines must report to the CAD in accordance with section 20 of the Aviation Security Regulation (Cap. 494A). Upon receipt of the relevant reports, the CAD will also conduct a review and follow up with the airlines as appropriate if necessary.
In handling unforeseen security incidents, according to the Hong Kong Aviation Security Programme, local airlines must ensure that crew members have undergone training and assessment on aviation security measures. The training content includes determination of the seriousness of in-flight unforeseen security incidents, crew communication and co-ordination, appropriate self-defence responses, and measures for handling unruly passengers, so as to ensure that various types of unforeseen in-flight security incidents can be properly and promptly handled.
The number of reports received by the CAD over the past three years is tabulated below:
| Year | Number of reports involving cabin safety received under the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme pursuant to Article 86 of the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 | Number of unforeseen security incidents in cabins received through the reporting mechanism under the scope of section 20 of the Aviation Security Regulation |
| 2023 | 35 | 15 |
| 2024 | 30 | 19 |
| 2025 | 42 | 38 |
The reports involving cabin safety received under the MOR Scheme pursuant to Article 86 of the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 mainly include cases of passengers and crew members feeling unwell, as well as medical needs due to injuries caused by turbulences; as for the unforeseen security incidents in cabins received through the reporting mechanism under the scope of section 20 of the Aviation Security Regulation, they mainly include assault and other disorderly conduct. With the increase in the number of flights in recent years, the number of reports of various incidents in 2025 has increased compared to previous years.
(3) It is understood that local airlines have generally adopted various measures to support the mental health of their employees (including crew members), such as signing the Mental Health Workplace Charter, organising promotional activities, and providing employee support groups and hotlines. Furthermore, to enhance the awareness and capacity of employers and employees in managing work stress and mental health issues, the LD and the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) organise occupational health talks and publicity activities related to work stress and mental health from time to time. The LD and OSHC also have published publications on work stress management to provide practical ways for managing work stress and preventing mental health issues at personal and organisational levels. In addition, the LD has been collaborating with the Department of Health (DH) and OSHC to jointly organise the Joyful@Healthy Workplace programme for many years. This initiative encourages employers and employees to work together to create a positive work environment, promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management. To further enhance employers' and employees' awareness of mental health, the DH, LD and OSHC have also launched the Mental Health Workplace Charter together.
(4) With full support from the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese diplomatic and consular missions, the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department (ImmD) has all along been striving to provide Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong, including crew members, with all practicable assistance.
Hong Kong residents encountering difficulties or requiring urgent assistance outside Hong Kong may call the ImmD's 24-hour assistance hotline 1868; call the 1868 hotline using network data or use the 1868 Chatbot via the ImmD mobile application; send messages to the 1868 WeChat or 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotlines; or submit an Online Assistance Request Form.
In case of emergency incidents, local airlines will maintain communication with and provide support to their crew members outside Hong Kong. The CAD will maintain close liaison with the airlines concerned.
Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:00
Issued at HKT 12:00
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