China Southern receives flight safety award from CAAC

MAINLAND China's largest carrier in terms of fleet size, China Southern Airlines, has received a Four Star Flight Safety Award by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

"Currently the most prestigious safety award in the Chinese aviation industry, China Southern as of May 20 safely flew four million hours, becoming the only Chinese carrier maintaining the longest safety record," said CAAC Minister Yang Yuan Yuan.

China Southern currently operates more than 310 aircraft and more than 1,300 daily flights all over the world, a company statement said.

In accordance with the CAAC regulations issued in October 2006, CAAC will deliver flight safety awards to carriers based upon the amount of the safe flight hours they kept consecutively.

For one million safe consecutive flight hours, the CAAC will honour the Chinese carrier with the First Star Flight Safety Award; the Two Star Flight Safety Award for two million hours safely flown and so forth. Upon receiving the Five Star Flight Safety Award, the carrier will be able to earn one more star in flight safety with an additional one million consecutive hours safely flown.

For 10 million safe flight hours, the airline will be honoured with the Blue Sky Diamond Flight Safety Award.