TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — United States Homeland Security fined Starlux Airlines US$6,696 (NT$210,000) for failing to check the documents of a passenger, reports said Friday (Dec. 15).
On Nov. 26, a passenger boarded Starlux flight JX002 at Taoyuan International Airport. However, when he arrived in Los Angeles, he turned out not to be in possession of valid documents to enter the U.S., causing him to be put on a flight back, per CNA.
Homeland Security said the case violated laws concerning the unlawful bringing of aliens into the U.S. Starlux responded it had completed an investigation into the incident and made adjustments to prevent such a case from occurring again.
Starlux started flights in 2020 just as COVID-19 was expanding across the world. The airline joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Dec. 4 and is scheduled to launch services between Taoyuan and San Francisco on Saturday (Dec. 16).