The majority of airlines in China are members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an industry trade group of airlines. All members of IATA are obliged to comply with the safety regulations set out by the IATA, which outlines procedures regarding flight and cabin operations, ground handling and air traffic management.
All aircraft and pilots in China are obliged to conform by the regulations set out by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). CAAC regulates and enforces requirements for both air-worthiness and safety training.
During the 1990s, the regulation of safety guidelines had failed to keep up with the rapid growth and technological change of the industry, and as a result Chinese airline safety was among the world's worst. By the late 2000s, however, due to the implementation of new safety guidelines, fatal accidents in China were lower than those of European and North American airlines, according to Charter Cities.
