China is forming a fleet of air police, who will soon fulfill their duties on the board, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.

However, the aviation industry authority didn't disclose whether the policemen on board will be armed, today's Beijing Morning Post reported.

"In fact, we already have security staff on board long before the Septmeber-11 terrorism attacks to the United States," a CAAC spokesman said.

"But to better ensure security, we decided to set up a fleet of professional air police with more than 2,000 people."

Since the US attacks, the CAAC has adopted a series of security measures on the planes, including forbidding the passengers to take any knife on board

(eastday 10/18/2001)