(ECNS) – China will set up a safety assessment process for foreign public air transport carriers operating in the country, in order to enhance supervision and prompt foreign air transport carriers to raise their safety levels in China, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The move is a supplement to the existing certification rules on foreign air transport carriers (CCAR-129 certification).
So far, there are 156 foreign carriers operating in China that hold the CCAR-129 certification. In 2014, there were 374,000 arrivals and departures by foreign carriers, which accounts for approximately 11 percent of the total.
However, their safety performances varied, with some of them excessively prone to accidents.
The CAAC's local branches will manage the assessment, which covers nine aspects and 34 items. The starting score is zero, and deductions will be made, according to stipulations set by the new rule, when foreign carriers operate in an unsafe manner in China.
Restrictive measures will then be taken, depending on the scores, with the final measure seeing dangerous carriers banned from the country.
