TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China Airlines, the state-owned carrier, has been fined NT$1 million (US$35,850) by the Civil Aeronautics Administration for failing to comply with COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures set by the government.

During a press conference on Friday (May 7), Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said China Airlines was found to have put some of its crew members in a non-quarantine hotel after they returned to Taiwan. While only one of the two Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport Hotels was designated as a quarantine facility, the other accepted the airline's crew members as well, he explained.

China Airlines will therefore receive a NT$1 million fine for violating the Civil Aviation Act, Chen said, citing Article 2 of the act. Meanwhile, he added the Novotel hotel was also fined NT$150,000 by the Tourism Bureau and NT$15,000 by the Taoyuan City Government for mixing regular guests with individuals undergoing quarantine.

Crew members of China Airlines have been at the center of a recent domestic coronavirus outbreak. As of press time, the number of cases linked to the cluster is 29, including 11 pilots, one flight attendant, five employees and one contractor at Novotel hotel, and 11 family members.