Liu Jianfeng, director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation, announced in Beijing on December that China's civil aviation sector has thoroughly resolved the Y2K problem and is able to ensure flight safety at the turn of century 8.

The air control system has eliminated the potential hazards posed by the millennium bug, with safety, operation and service systems in place in all domestic airports, Liu said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, the administration will also adopt some emergency measures in case Y2K problems occur, and an emergency center will be put into operation soon, said Liu.

According to the administration's plan, Liu said, all domestic flights will take off after 8:30 a.m. on January 1, 2000 (0:30 GMT), and the schedule for foreign flights will not be changed.

Liu said that at the turn of the century, the administration will not reduce the number of flights but will arrange them according to the passenger volume.

Some 38,000 tickets for January 1, 2000 have so far been sold, slightly more than in the same day this year.

Liu disclosed that he will take a cross-century flight on a Chinese airliner. "I am confident in China's civil aviation," he said.