May 12, 2005, Taipei, Taiwan ¡V China Airlines has passed an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), and become an IOSA certified operator recently. So far, there are only 34 airlines joining the elite group of world¡¦s top flight safety group. The 34 IOSA certified operators include renowned Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines and All Nippon Airways. An IATA (International Air Transport Association) delegation arrived in Taipei to present the IOSA certificate to China Airlines on May 12.

The IOSA is a comprehensive review of eight disciplines fundamental to the safety of an airline. Those eight categories are: Organization and Management, Flight Operations, Cabin Operations, Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance, Operations Control and Flight Dispatch, Aircraft Ground Handling, Cargo Operations, and Operational Security. The audit process requires a team of qualified IOSA auditors to review 750 essential operational items for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization Safety Standards and Recommended Practices.

In order to improve international flight safety, IATA designed IOSA as an internationally recognized audit standard, and IATA has been actively promoting IOSA since July 2003. IATA is the governing body that creates regulations for international airlines.

By meeting and exceeding the rigorous standards set by IOSA, China Airlines gains all the benefits that come with achieving uniformly excellent flight safety standards. In the future, when IOSA- certified carriers are negotiating a code-share cooperation, they can save time and reduce costs by mutually accepting the IOSA audit reports.

China Airlines has spared no effort to improve its flight safety in recent years, and uses the most advanced available systems to monitor and record every flight. CAL has also established quality assurance units to monitor its flight safety and maintenance departments. Passing the rigorous IOSA audit shows that CAL is meeting its ongoing goal of achieving the highest international standards of flight safety.