Chinese Pilots Must Learn to Land in Thick Smog
December 12th, 2013Via: Guardian:
Chinese authorities have told pilots who fly to Beijing they must be qualified to land their aircraft in the low visibility bought about by smog – the latest missive related to the capital’s heavy air pollution, which the government this week lauded as a beneficial shield against missile attacks.
From 1 January pilots flying from the country’s 10 busiest airports into the Chinese capital must be qualified to use an instrument landing system on days when smog reduces visibility to around 400 metres (1,315 feet), the official China Daily said, citing China’s civil aviation regulator.
“It is part of a series of measures the administration took recently to raise the flights’ on-time performance,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed aviation official as saying.
