*

China aviation regulator adjusting flight routes after

crash in

Kazakhstan

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Orders review of runways and bird strike hazards after

South

Korea crash

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China yet to release final report on deadly China Eastern

crash

in 2022

BEIJING, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have

called for assessments of industry hazards to uncover any

"hidden" operational dangers from flight routes to runways,

following the deadliest year in global commercial aviation since

2018.

Last year, 318 people died in commercial flight incidents

around the world, according to data tracked by the

U.S.-headquartered Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety

Network. The last time fatalities exceeded 300 was in 2018.

On Friday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)

said it had been alerting Chinese airlines to potential safety

threats and adjusting flight routes.

"The Civil Aviation Administration of China has been... in a

timely manner warning airlines of safety risks to flights, and

adjusting route plans to ensure safe operation," Shu Mingjiang,

a CAAC official, said at a regular press briefing.

On Dec. 29, a Jeju Air jet flying from Thailand

to South Korea belly-landed and overshot the runway in Muan

following a bird strike. The Boeing 737-800 plane

exploded into flames after hitting an embankment, killing 179

people.

That was preceded by the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines

flight near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from

southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were attacking several

cities at the time. Azerbaijan's president said the plane had

been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia.

Chinese carriers including Air China and China

Southern Airlines have started to avoid airspace in

that region, financial and investigative news outlet Caixin

reported. Most Western airlines and many in Asia have avoided

Russian airspace entirely since 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine

war.

Additionally, China's CAAC has directed airports to take

preventive measures against bird strikes and to conduct a

comprehensive review of safety hazards on runways.

Airports will "intensify operations to repel birds in and

around airport facilities," Shu said.

He also said airports are mandated to conduct investigations

into "hidden dangers" to enhance the safety of runways.

The CAAC had also launched a major aviation safety drive in

2022 after a China Eastern Airlines plane plunged

into the mountains of Guangxi and killed 132 people on board in

mainland China's deadliest aviation disaster for 28 years.

Nearly three years after the accident, it has yet to issue a

final report outlining the cause. The CAAC did not respond

immediately to a request for comment on the status of the

report.