Air officials meet

JAKARTA (JP): Asia-Pacific civil aviation director generals began their 32nd annual conference here to exchange experiences and to discuss problems.

The one-week conference, which was officially opened yesterday by Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, focuses on "Human factors in aviation safety and security".

Some 200 participants from 40 nations and institutions will attend the conference. The conference is being held before the Indonesia air show, which starts on June 22 and ends on June 30.

"The Asia-Pacific region is recognized as the world's fastest growing economy and a hub of regional economic activities. The economies of this region are highly diversified. Such diversity offers ample opportunities for us to expand our activities," Haryanto said in his opening speech.

According to the minister, the increasing flow of goods, capital and people in the region makes the Asia-Pacific highly competitive.

Following the opening ceremony, the conference participants traveled to Bandung, West Java to visit the industrial complex of state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara.(icn)