8,000 Still Need To Pass English Exam

China is currently experiencing an economic surge that has caused a boom in airline travel... but officials admit service, training and hardware standards are having problems keeping pace.

According to the country's airline regulator, only 651 Chinese pilots have passed a required English exam, meaning less than a tenth of its total number of pilots meet international aviation English standards, according to Reuters.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China issued a statement encouraging its pilots to "rise to the challenge" and improve their grasp of the language.

"The requirement to raise pilot's English abilities comes from a formal decision by the International Civil Aviation Organization," deputy aviation minister Li Jian said.

"I hope those comrades who have the wrong thinking drop their illusions, don't wait around and don't rely on others, grasp the present good conditions for studying English and dare to fulfill their responsibilities," he added. "This will be long, hard, comprehensive work."

The regulators are concerned, especially ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, because many of its pilots are former military and speak little or no English, and are said to be putting off learning the language.

Some airlines have risen to the task, though, and train their new pilots in required language skills.

FMI: www.caac.gov.cn (English version is under construction), http://web.caac.gov.cn/English/News/, www.icao.int