After the “3.21” aircraft accident of China Eastern flight MU5735, to implement instructions from China’s President Xi Jinping and central government leaders, CAAC has made all-out efforts on accident-related work, and issued a notice on March 22 requiring an immediate 2-week thorough inspection campaign on safety performance across the industry. The inspection, on the basis of an earlier supervision of industry safety, is aimed to further strengthen awareness of bottom lines and to troubleshoot safety hazards in the civil aviation field, so as to guarantee higher level safety of aviation operations and people’s lives.

The inspection will cover regional air traffic management bureaus, transport (general) airlines, service provider companies, airport companies and flight training institutions, with a focus on safety awareness, building of professional teams, implementation of rules and standards, safety management chains, safety support capabilities and fulfillment of safety responsibilities.

Efforts to carry out safety inspection will be in strict compliance with COVID-19 prevention and control requirements, and will include self-inspection of subject entities and supervision by CAAC in a full-coverage, no-blind spot and priority-focused manner. As required by CAAC, industry entities shall strictly implement their principal responsibilities and conduct all-round self-inspection first. CAAC regional administrations should fully implement CAAC’s instructions on safety management, carry out industry-wide and in-depth safety inspection, adopt diversified approaches that include official investigations, covert inquires and remote supervision without prior notice and going straight to the front and the site, to eliminate hidden dangers and follow up till sufficient rectification. CAAC will continue to focus on priority-based safety supervision and random inspections, to ensure solid effects from this industry-wide safety inspection campaign.