TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — All commercial aircraft older than 26 years will have to be retired from service, according to new regulations that will go into force on January 1, 2020.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said only four jets of that age were still operating in Taiwan, all of them MD planes owned by Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT), which recently suspended services due to financial problems.

The new measures are aimed at preventing accidents and other mishaps likely to delay service and inconvenience the public, CNA quoted the Ministry of Transportation as saying on Saturday (Dec. 21).

Airlines will be encouraged to speed up the acquisition of new aircraft and improve their risk management, according to the ministry. FAT has applied to restart its operations, but the delivery of a seventh ATR plane from France originally scheduled for Dec. 27 has been halted, CNA reported.