China urges safety assessments after deadly year in commercial aviation

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have called for assessments of industry hazards to uncover any “hidden” operational dangers from flight routes to runways, following the deadliest year in global commercial aviation since 2018.

Last year, 318 people died in commercial flight incidents around the world, according to data tracked by the U.S.-headquartered Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network. The last time fatalities exceeded 300 was in 2018.

On Friday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it had been alerting Chinese airlines to potential safety threats and adjusting flight routes.

“The Civil Aviation Administration of China has been… in a timely manner warning airlines of safety risks to flights, and adjusting route plans to ensure safe operation,” Shu Mingjiang, a CAAC official, said at a regular press briefing.

On Dec. 29, a Jeju Air jet flying from Thailand to South Korea belly-landed and overshot the runway in Muan following a bird strike. The Boeing (NYSE:) 737-800 plane exploded into flames after hitting an embankment, killing 179 people.

That was preceded by the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were attacking several cities at the time. Azerbaijan’s president said the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia.

Chinese carriers including Air China (OTC:) and China Southern Airlines have started to avoid airspace in that region, financial and investigative news outlet Caixin reported. Most Western airlines and many in Asia have avoided Russian airspace entirely since 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Additionally, China’s CAAC has directed airports to take preventive measures against bird strikes and to conduct a comprehensive review of safety hazards on runways.

Airports will “intensify operations to repel birds in and around airport facilities,” Shu said.

He also said airports are mandated to conduct investigations into “hidden dangers” to enhance the safety of runways.

The CAAC had also launched a major aviation safety drive in 2022 after a China Eastern Airlines (OTC:) plane plunged into the mountains of Guangxi and killed 132 people on board in mainland China’s deadliest aviation disaster for 28 years.

Nearly three years after the accident, it has yet to issue a final report outlining the cause. The CAAC did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the status of the report.