ENG-1999 — Page 326

276

TRANSPORT

on board, three died and 50 were seriously injured. An Inspector's Investigation is being conducted to look into the cause or causes of the accident.

The Year 2000 Transition

Preparation for the transition to the year 2000 (Y2K) was an important task during 1999 for the AA, the CAD and all other key organisations in the aviation sector. All the necessary rectification work and verification of the Y2K compliance status of the mission-critical systems were completed by August. Contingency arrangements were also put in place to cater for any Y2K-induced disruptions. To ensure the relevant staff were familiar with these arrangements, a number of the contingency drills were held during 1999.

On December 31, all Y2K co-ordination and control centres of the key organisations (including the CAD, the AA and airlines) of the aviation sector commenced operation in the evening. The CAD acted as the sector's overall Y2K Co-ordinating Centre.

The aviation sector rolled over to January 1, 2000 smoothly and orderly with no Y2K incident occurring in both the local time and Universal Time Constant rollovers.

Aircrewl Aircraft Operations

Revised Flight Time Limitations (FTL) requirements for the avoidance of fatigue in aircrew, with particular emphasis on ultra-long-range operations, were implemented in March. They were regarded as a pioneer effort by the international aviation community in the avoidance of aircrew fatigue and had received considerable publicity world-wide. The CAD approved the FTL schemes of individual airlines in accordance with the revised requirements.

In April, the CAD participated in the joint audit of the new maintenance hangars and back-shop facilities of Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (TAECO), of which the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited is a major shareholder. The other aviation authorities included the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, United States Federal Aviation Administration, United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. The joint audit validated the technical standards of TAECO in providing maintenance to aircraft registered in the concerned places.

Aviation Security

The Aviation Security Ordinance and Regulation provide comprehensive local legislation to implement aviation security-related conventions and agreements promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The Hong Kong Aviation Security Programme developed by the Government, in consultation with the airport operators, airlines and other concerned parties, has laid down the aviation security requirements for different operators at the HKIA. These form the basis for implementing effective aviation security measures at the airport, which have been closely monitored by the Government to ensure that they are up to the highest international standards.