[Background]
Amid rising calls for enhanced safety in the aviation sector following incidents such as the passenger plane crash on December 29 and a fire on an aircraft during standby, a comprehensive improvement plan for the aviation industry, the "Aviation Safety Innovation Plan" (April 2025), was announced to strengthen safety measures. The aim is to improve the acceptability and effectiveness of international air traffic rights allocation by excluding airlines involved in fatal accidents from air traffic rights distribution for one year from the date of the incident.
[Regulatory Content]
A new provision will be introduced to exclude airlines involved in fatal accidents from the allocation of air traffic rights and airspace transit rights for one year from the date of the incident to ensure the safety of air traffic users.
1. Reason for Amendment
Following recent incidents such as the passenger plane crash on December 29 and a fire onboard an aircraft during standby, the "Aviation Safety Innovation Plan" (April 2025) was announced to enhance safety in the aviation sector. According to this plan, airlines involved in fatal accidents will have their allocation of air traffic rights restricted for one year from the date of the incident. Additionally, to improve user benefits, the amendment allows the transfer of air traffic rights between merging airlines. These changes aim to address and improve certain deficiencies in the current system.
2. Key Contents
a. Exclusion of Air Traffic Rights Allocation for Airlines Involved in Fatal Accidents (Article 15, Paragraph 4 and 5 of the Draft)
A new provision is introduced to exclude airlines involved in fatal accidents from air traffic rights allocation for one year from the date of the accident to ensure the safety of air travelers.
b. Allowance for the Transfer of Air Traffic Rights Between Merged Airlines (Article 22, Newly Introduced)
To prevent the suspension or reduction of operations on specific routes due to regulatory measures imposed by domestic and international competition authorities during airline mergers, and to reduce user inconvenience, the transfer of air traffic rights between merging airlines is allowed when necessary.
c. Revision of Evaluation Indicators for Air Traffic Rights Allocation (Annex 1, Items 1-4 of the Draft)
The evaluation indicators related to safety and convenience for air traffic users will be improved. The criteria for applying these evaluation indicators will be revised from the previous 3 years to the most recent 6 half-year periods to ensure timely assessments.
