Airline sources said the ACASII installed on its planes met the requirements of the General Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which meant its planes had access to all domestic airports.

The upgrading cost the airline a total of one million US dollars.

An administration report says that passenger jets without the ACASII system are not allowed to take off or land between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. at major domestic airports including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen from July 12.

Such jets will also have to fly below an altitude of 8,400 meters along some busy air routes.

Most domestic airline fleets use the collision avoidance system, though some need to be upgraded, according to figures available from the administration. Some small planes, which operate mainly on regional routes, are still not equipped with such a system.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2002)