Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC) has won independence from the regulatory Civil Aeronautics Administration in a development that it says will enable it to operate without political interference.
The ASC says that "after years of persistent efforts", legislators voted in favour of an Investigation Act giving it powers "to investigate aircraft occurrences independently without interference from other government organisations".
Since its formation in 1998 under the auspices of the CAA, the investigative agency "has been through difficulties in conducting investigations due to the lack of an independent act", says the ASC.
Originally known as the Flight Safety Commission, the ASC was established after several fatal aviation accidents in Taiwan.
Source: Flight International
