Shanghai Airlines has recently introduced eight foreign pilots to serve its fleet of cargo planes, a local newspaper has said.

The experienced, skillful pilots come from the United States, Sweden, Venezuela and the Philippines and will fly all of the eight fly MD-11 cargo planes that were imported by the company recently, serving air routes from Shanghai to Osaka, Macao, Hong Kong and Frankfurt, according to the local newspaper.

Over the past few years, Shanghai Airlines has expanded at an annual rate of 30 percent. In 2004 alone, the company imported nine new planes. Last year, seven planes joined its fleet.

Given that it takes eight to ten years for the company to train a pilot, and introduction of experienced foreign pilots is seen as a more efficient way to back up the expansion.

However, there are Chinese restrictions over the introduction of foreign pilots.

Last July, the nation's civil aviation authorities promulgated a set of rules on the participation of foreign civil-aircraft pilots in China's airway companies.

The rules say for crew flying air routes that are yet to be open to outside world, they must include Chinese members, who should take the responsibility to keep flight data.

Source: Xinhuary producers would be urged to strengthen "biodefences", said Bonaventure Mtei, representative of the 167-member World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

A lack of understanding about the migratory routes of wild birds complicates the issue. The first cases of H5N1 bird flu were reported earlier this month in Niger and Nigeria.

Source: Xinhua