Stressing that there should be no boundaries to aviation safety, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday lauded the effort of the Cabinet's Aviation Safety Council (ASC) and private aviation industries for their effort in reducing Taiwan's air accident rate.
"In the wake of almost 700 fatalities resulting from the six aviation accidents Taiwan experienced in the last decade, we have managed to reduce the accident rate per million hours from 2.5 to 1.5, after dedicating manpower and funds to improve air safety," Chen said yesterday at the opening of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators's (ISASI) 33rd annual air safety seminar.
According to the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Taiwan's aviation accident rate in the 1998 was 2.5 per million hours and the rate last year was 1.5. The average accident rate between 1991 to 2000 was 2.02 per million hours.
The seminar, organized by the ASC, was the first ISASI event to be held in an Asian nation.
Founded in the US in 1964, the ISASI has more than 100 members from more than 35 countries. It is dedicated to promoting international air safety through the sharing of experiences and knowledge though seminars and exhibitions.
Statistics from the Aviation Safety Network, established as a source of reference on aviation safety, recorded 734 casualties in crashes involving Taiwanese airliners since 1992. For the previous decade it recorded 200.
"We feel deep regret over those mishaps and have since made strenuous efforts to improve our flight safety measures," Chen said.
Chen said that the government had shown its commitment in enhancing aviation safety by establishing the ASC -- an independent authority to conduct aviation accident investigations ? in 1998 to propose safety recommendations to both the public and private sectors.
"Although Taiwan is not yet a member of the international Civil Aviation," Chen said, "we still abide by its investigation procedures and seek cooperation and support in our investigation skill development."
The seminar's theme is "Global Challenges in Accident Investigation and Safety Improvement."
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