Global Times | 2013-7-13 0:48:01
By Liu Dong

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) will launch a series of campaigns against delayed flights in the second half of this year, according to an announcement published by the CAAC on Thursday.

Li Jiaxiang, director of the CAAC, said that they will increase punishments for those organizations responsible for long flight delays or those failing to provide services for passengers.

According to Li, airline companies which suffered delayed flights due to their own faults, and therefore caused disturbances at airports with a significant social impact, would have their flight slots canceled and their applications denied next season.

Recent near-riots at Shanghai and other airports following massive delays have made headlines. Thanks to rain and storms, nearly 500 flights were canceled in Beijing Capital International Airport on Monday.

Meanwhile, Li said the CAAC will focus on optimizing airspace management in major areas like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to reduce  further delays.

Zhang Qihuai, a professor from the Air and Space Law Research Center at China University of Political science and Law, told the Global Times that although the CAAC taking action against delayed flights is a step forward, they should consider a more comprehensive solution.

"Delayed flights are a system problem, but we can't solely blame the airline companies. It also involves air traffic control, airport management, logistical and passenger services, and just finding fault won't fundamentally solve the problem," he said.

Zhang noted that one big loophole in current civil aviation law is the lack of mandatory regulations on compensation for passengers whose flights are delayed, which causes disputes.

Although Beijing and Shanghai are among the world's 35 biggest airports by passengers carried, their on-schedule rate is bottom of the list, according to US Flight Stats figures for June.

Source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/795802.shtml#.UeiqvXhxGdI