China boosts flight punctuality rate in 2011

Flight punctuality has been improving in China this year from a year ago despite limited air traffic routes and the rapid increase of flights, a senior official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Monday. From January to November, the punctuality rate was 76.5 percent on average, up 1.9 percentage points compared to the same period last year, said Li Jun, deputy director of CAAC. Li said that airlines, airports and air traffic control authorities have strengthened cooperation in efforts to reduce delays. With these efforts, the punctuality rates of the Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou routes have increased 30 and 11 percentage points, respectively, Li said at a national aviation work conference in Beijing. Li said that in 2012, the CAAC will further take efforts to reduce flight delays and raise the punctuality rate by another two percentage points.