The nation's civil aviation sector is adopting advanced technologies to ensure flight and airport security, according to an announcement made on Wednesday at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)'s Sixth Informatization Forum.

"By incorporating biological sensing technology, chemical analysis and artificial intelligence, we are developing a type of security detector to be used in airports," said Huang Rongshun, vice director of CAAC's Second Research Institute.

An information security management system for airports has also been developed, Huang said.

According to CAAC's guidelines on informatization for the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), the air traffic control system will be expanded into a more comprehensive network oriented toward flight safety, efficient management, decision-making support and service to airlines.

The system will offer better flight planning, more timely flight information and improved monitoring of meteorological information.

The guidelines also urge civil aviation enterprises to use information technology to modernize their operations and management.

Airlines and airport operators must improve their information systems to sharpen their competitive abilities in international markets, Ren Yingli, vice director of CAAC's Department of Personnel and Education, said at the forum.

E-business in the sector also needs to be promoted and a platform for air logistics information should be set up, he said.

According to a survey conducted by Beijing-based CCID Consulting, more than 5 billion yuan (US$600 million) has been spent on information technology in China's civil aviation industry during 2004.

That figure reflects a jump of 21 percent from last year. Most of the investment has gone into hardware, but Huang predicted that in the coming years, software development and applications will be the focus.

(China Daily December 2, 2004)