2010-09-07 09:22

GUIYANG - After being grounded for five days following a landing scare on Aug 28, China Express Air resumed half of its scheduled flights Monday, said airline executives.

Flights within southwest China's Guizhou province, and some from southwest China's Chongqing municipality, were resumed Monday, accounting for half of the Guiyang-based airline's flights, said Chen Huaiyu, deputy general manager of the company.

"Sixty percent of the seats on these flights were sold, on average," said Chen, "The rest of the flights are expected to resume in a week or two."

The right wing of a Bombardier CRJ 200 regional jet scraped the ground on landing at Guiyang Airport in southwest China on Aug 28. No one was injured during the incident.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Saturday ordered the airline to halt all flights beginning Sept 1 and conduct safety checks.

This was the first suspension order issued by the CAAC in a crackdown on airline safety since a Brazil-made ERJ-190 plane operated by Henan Airlines crashed on landing at Lindu Airport, Yichun city in northeast China, on Aug 24, killing 42 and injuring 54 people on board.

On Sept 5, the CAAC approved the airline's reopening of some flights after the company submitted a safety overhaul plan.

China Express Air, based in Guizhou's provincial capital Guiyang, is China's first private regional airline, established in September 2006. It operates four 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 200 regional aircraft and employs more than 60 flight personnel.