Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) held a safety work meeting with foreign airlines operating in China to ensure safe operations, CAAC said on Wednesday.

The meeting, held on Wednesday, analyzed the current civil aviation safety situation, and outlined safety tasks related to foreign airlines in the next phase, according to a post on the website of the civil aviation watchdog.

As of the end of May 2025, a total of 184 foreign airlines from 67 countries and regions operated in China, and international passenger flights have increased to about 6,400 per week.

Hu Zhenjiang, a deputy head of CAAC, said in the next step, it is necessary to closely monitor safety dynamics, strengthen multi-dimensional data analysis, accurately identify and effectively control various risks and fully leverage the initiative of domestic and foreign employees of foreign airlines and those in the civil aviation regulatory departments. 

"In particular, we must strengthen the concept of system safety, scientifically manage key factors such as personnel, equipment, environment and management that affect safe operations, foster positive interaction between corporate safety management and government safety supervision, balance development with safety, and jointly build a strong safety foundation," Hu said.

Hu noted that in recent years, the overall safety record of foreign airlines operating in China has remained stable. 

To comprehensively enhance safety oversight and ensure the smooth and controllable operation of foreign airlines, Hu urged strengthening of safety supervision and support services to improve the quality of foreign airlines' operations in China, improving the response measures for complex weather in line with the characteristics of different seasons.

He also stressed the strengthening of the airworthiness management of aircraft and comprehensively improving the preventive maintenance capabilities.

Guo Jia, a professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday that it is natural for China's aviation regulator to hold such safety meetings with industry stakeholders.

In January, a CAAC official said at a press conference that China consistently conducts safety risk assessments and risk investigations on flight operations in accordance with the country's civil aviation laws and regulations and relevant international standards and promptly issued safety risk warnings to airlines for flights that may be affected, and adjusts flight routes to ensure safe operations.

Last year was the deadliest for global commercial aviation since 2018, Reuters reported in January, citing data from a US-based organization that tracks flight safety records.