MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - The number of plane crashes in Russia halved in 2006 compared to 2005, but the number of people who died in air crashes soared by almost seven times, a deputy head of the country's transport regulator said Wednesday.
Vladimir Chertok said 380 people were killed in air crashes in 2006, compared to 56 in 2005.
He said most air traffic accidents in 2006 were caused by human negligence and insufficient training of civil aviation personnel.
"Last year dozens of companies were stripped of their licenses. Flights were suspended at 14 airports until all flaws were removed," Chertok said.
He said the legal framework should be modernized to make flight security more effective.
