China's civil aviation authority will expedite preparations to guarantee safe, sound and comfortable air transport during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Yang Yuanyuan, head of the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC), has urged the air traffic control department to study airspace issues related to the 2008 Olympic Games and come up with a detailed plan as soon as possible.

"The key issues (to be studied) include adjusting air routes over Beijing during the Games, redesigning air routes for departing planes and planes flying through the capital's air space and improving air routes in neighboring areas," he said.

Zhao Yibing, professor at Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, said ordinary travelers might be affected by the air traffic control measures. "Some commercial flights could be rescheduled to avoid the traffic rush.

"Other flights may be arranged to land in neighboring airports of Tianjin or Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province during the Games," he said.

CAAC plans to apply the RVSM (reduced vertical separation minimums) system in China before August 30 to handle the increase in air traffic.

Air traffic in China is expected to increase by at least 50 percent by 2008, with the Games generating an additional 15 percent, International Air Transport Association's (IATA) estimates showed last year. CAAC started preparations last August to handle the extra load.

One measure is to set up an air control region in Beijing before the end of this year, with terminals shared by the military and the civil aviation department both.

The other measures are improving radar navigation and other information systems in the Beijing area and working with Boeing to study how can three runways be operated successfully at the capital's airport. IATA, which helped the Athens and Sydney organizers with air traffic control during the last two Games, said it would do so with Beijing too.

"IATA will invite CAAC officials to visit Athens or Sydney this year, and call experts to exchange their experiences," assistant director for safety, operations and infrastructure with IATA's North Asia branch Li Wenxin said over the phone.

"Beijing's capacity of handling flights has reached the maximum level," said professor Zhao Yibing. "In addition, the airport has to deal with the shortage of air traffic control staff and communications facilities and natural emergencies such as rainstorms".