China posts 8-M accident-free flight hours

China continues to lead in worldwide aviation safety, logging 8 million hours of accident-free flights. Following an air accident in Baotou in November 2004 which killed 53 passengers, China tightened its flight safety rules by putting emphasis on passenger safety. Recently, the civil aviation industry has implemented a safety responsibility system and government oversight on safety. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has rectified problems in various areas, including weak operation control capability, flight collision, apron order, dangerous goods transport, air crew resources management, air fuel quality, and general aviation. The continued air transport growth in China has increased pressure on safety services. The CAAC said 155 aircraft will be added this year to China’s fleet as expansion continues. It is estimated that this year, total air transport throughput will reach 34.8 billion ton kilometers, passenger traffic will be 187 million, and total cargo and mail volume will reach 3.85 million tons, an increase of 15 percent, 16 percent and 12 percent respectively, compared to previous years. In addition, general aviation operation flights are estimated to increase by approximately 10 percent on a year-on-year basis. The rapid growth rate in air transport has resulted in a shortage of human resources such as pilots, mechanics and controllers. Also, the problem of tight airspace still lingers, thus making air traffic management more difficult. The increased flights of foreign airlines have also congested domestic trunk airports and busy airports. This situation increases the risk of flight collision.