Civil Aviation Regulator Unveils Tough Rules to Reduce Flight Delays

China's top civil aviation regulator has now unveiled tougher rules to reduce flight delays, which have surged in the first half of this year, triggering a lot of public anger.

Ying Ying has more.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China says that on average, over 80 percent of domestic flights are departing on schedule over the past five years and the punctuality rate is above the world average of around 75%.

But in the first half of this year, the punctuality rate has dropped to less than 77%.

Professor Li Xiaojin with Tianjin-based Civil Aviation University of China attributes it to the frequent extreme weather conditions and the congestion caused by the ongoing Shanghai World Expo.

"A delayed flight may trigger the domino effect. According to our calculations, one flight delay will lead to an average of 7 delays in a day. Given that Shanghai is a busy aviation hub, the impact will be more significant."

To address the problem, the regulator has asked airlines to reserve 2% of their total capacity to add to the flexibility in coping with delays. It is also asking the country's three main carriers to prepare a back-up plane at each of the three aviation hubs, which are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

And once flights are delayed for 30 minutes, airlines will be obligated to tell passengers the expected take-off time along with the reasons for the delay.

The International Air Transport Association says the aviation industry's center of gravity is moving East, with China becoming one of the most dynamic markets.

Last year, the number of passengers increased nearly 20% year-on-year.

Li Xiaojin admits the increase of Chinese airlines' capacity lags slightly behind the increase in passengers. But he notes the root cause of the frequent flight delays is the limited air space and ground space at airports.

"According to the data released by authorities, 25 airports have reported shortage of air space and ground space. These airports see about 70% of the country's flight passenger flow. So it poses a great challenge for the management of aviation transportation, and it's a test for the wisdom of regulators."

The expert suggests that economic means should be introduced to make use of air space resources more efficient.

"Airlines are charged nearly the same amount of fees for flying busy routes and ordinary routes. I think we should raise the charges for flying busy routes and cut those for ordinary routes. Let the price leverage play its role."

The measures come after a number of high-profile incidents involving angry passengers over the past two months, which have resulted in airport staff being assaulted and facilities being damaged.

For CRI, I'm Ying Ying.