Though accidents have reduced over the years to about 1.5 per million departures and has remained at this level with no signs of declining, said Stuart Matthews, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation. Statistics over the last decade have shown that 50 per cent of accidents have occurred during take off and landing, he said.

Matthews also voiced concern on the accident rate in the Third World. A large increase in air traffic is expected from these nations which could translate into more accidents, Matthews said.

The aviation industry globally has to address the issue in a pro-active manner, he said. Use of the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) can beproductive in identifying the fault and taking corrective measures.

Continuous analyses of the DFDR combined with confidential reporting and non-punitive systems especially by pilots can help prevent accidents, he added.

AK Gujadhur, president, Airlines Association for Human Resources Management (AARHM), said that the entire staff from the top management to the grassroots level is responsible for safety levels. HRD, however, plays an important role in enhancing flight safety by making sure that the training and other work assignments are carried out properly, he said. Besides, creation of cross-functional relationship, team building and total quality management too need greater emphasis.

On the measures taken by Indian authorities to improve safety standards, the director general of civil aviation, HS Khola said that the department is making sure that all the airlines flying through India would instal aircraft collision avoidance system (A-CAS) in their aircraft by December 31. Domestic airlines,including Air India and Indian Airlines, are already nearing completion of the process.

He said the Airports Authority of India has decided to increase the runway lengths from 6,000 feet to 7,500 feet for jet aircraft. The additional length is to provide a "cushion" for aircraft.

Khola said safety steps initiated by the DGCA had helped airlines save Rs 100 crore through insurance premium during the last three years. Installations of secondary surveillance air route radar at Delhi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram would help aircraft maintenance safety standards.

Nagpur, Varanasi and Jharsuguda airports will be equipped with such radars by the end of next year. This would help cover the entire air route, he said adding that by 2000, all the radars would be inter-linked, enabling an ATC to examine position of an aircraft more efficiently.

Khola said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has made English mandatory for the cockpit staff.This caused the mid-air collision of Saudia Arabia airlines and Khazakistan airlines two years ago. The regulatory body has forwarded the inquiry report to both airlines, he added.

The report of the Elbee F-27 cargo flight, which went into the Arabian Sea shortly after take off from Mumbai last year, was under examination, he added.