More than 120 delegates from over 40 organisations are attending the two-day Aviation Language Proficiency Seminar the Civil Aviation Department is hosting in Hong Kong.

The delegates include civil aviation administrations, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, airlines, air traffic service providers and linguistic consultants.

Opening the seminar today, Director-General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo said the language requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation for radiotelephony communication serve as one of the most important aviation safety initiatives to be implemented.

As an initiative to further enhance aviation safety, the organisation has formulated the language proficiency requirements for compliance by aviation personnel, including pilots and air traffic controllers.

Mr Lo said the air traffic service provider and airline operators in Hong Kong are phasing in the new requirements and would like to share their experience with other organisations.