China will issue new measures to reduce the chances of aircraft collisions, and punish departments that fail to implement them, according to the General Administration of Civil Administration of China (CAAC).

 

In 2004, the CAAC made anti-air-collision system equipment compulsory for all planes in China, and there have been no air collisions since, CAAC director Yang Yuanyuan said at a recent meeting.

 

China's civil aviation industry has developed rapidly in recent years. Chinese airlines will have a combined fleet of more than 1,000 planes by the end of 2006, and there are 5,000 scheduled flights every day in Chinese airspace.

 

As flights become more frequent and airports more crowded, measures to prevent aircraft collision are a top priority, Yang said.

 

Direction, guidance and supervision both in the air and on the ground must be reinforced, he said, saying that the performance of aviation authorities will be strictly monitored.

 

CAAC Deputy Director Wang Shunchang said the CAAC would invest in new air traffic control infrastructure.

 

According to Wang, the airspace in busy east China will be fully covered by state-of-the-art radar systems by the end of 2006.  

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2006)