Thirty flight attendants at China Eastern Airlines conducted emergency water landing and evacuation drills yesterday as the country's third-biggest carrier pledged to improve crew members' ability to handle emergencies.

"The drills will raise crew members' ability to assess the proper course of action in the event of an emergency," said Zhong Wen, a China Eastern vice president.

She said the airline was motivated to refresh crew skills after an arriving Air France flight skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and burst into flames in Toronto, Canada, earlier this month. All passengers and crew survived and only minor injuries were reported. Canadian authorities and Air France praised the efforts of flight attendants for getting the passengers off the plane safely.

For the China Eastern drill, flight attendants were divided into four groups at the airline's training center at Hongqiao Airport yesterday.

They practiced instructions and demonstrations in an Airbus 300 mock cabin. They also simulated evacuating passengers onto a raft on a big swimming pool, as well as rescuing passengers who fell into the "sea."

One flight attendant said the drill is important.

"It really keeps the knowledge we've learned in the past fresh and helps us keep our composure during an emergency," said crew member Wang Peifeng.

Inside the mock cabin, one side of which was on fire for the drill, flight attendants shouted to calm passengers, gave instructions on how to wear life vests, and told them the correct posture to withstand an impact.

The attendants then picked people - airline employees, soldiers, policemen or those strong enough - to help them evacuate passengers.

(Shanghai Daily August 22, 2005)