The Civil Aviation Department immediately publishes information on any aircraft occurrence that may be of safety concern to the public.

Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Stephen Ip told legislators today the department has reviewed the public announcement mechanism in light of recent public concerns over aircraft incidents.

The aircraft captain must immediately report to the chief inspector of accidents of any serious incident which results in death or serious injury of any person, damage or structural failure of any aircraft which adversely affects its structural strength, performance or flight characteristics, and missing or complete inaccessibility of the aircraft. The information will then go public. Mr Ip said there were two cases between 2002 and 2004, and immediate public announcements were made on both occasions.

For general incidents, airlines must report occurrences which involve their aircraft, including occurrences related to the airframe systems, aircraft engine and avionics equipment, to the department within 96 hours.

Aircraft occurrences up 22%

The department received 257 occurrence reports last year, up 22% on 2003, and 67% on 2002. Of them, 174 were related to airframe systems (up 58% and 115%), 68 to engines (down 4% and up 62%) and 15 to avionics equipment (down 25% and 52%). As is the usual international practice, public announcements on these occurrences are not required.

Mr Ip said the crack measuring 1.5m long and 4.4cm wide found on Hong Kong airport's north runway on November 25 was caused by a combination of normal wear-and-tear and repeated aircraft braking. There is no evidence to suggest the crack was caused by differential settlement of the airport's reclaimed land.

Mr Ip said after the crack was found, the runway was closed for emergency repair, and re-opened within three hours. During the period, all flights were diverted to the south runway in an orderly manner and there was no impact on safety. He said the authority follows the department's requirements and the relevant standards and guidelines promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.