China's civil aviation authority steps up safety checks

BEIJING -- China's civil aviation sector has launched a two-week-long safety overhaul after a passenger plane crashed in southern China in March, said Wu Shijie, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, on Tuesday.

The administration also sent steering groups to various regions to carry out safety supervision in the industry.

The civil aviation sector will further investigate and rectify risks and hidden dangers to prevent major accidents, Wu added.

Wu said the investigation is proceeding according to procedures. "We will do our best to determine the cause of the accident as soon as possible and release relevant information following laws and procedures."

The China Eastern Airlines aircraft, flight MU5735, crashed into a mountainous area in Tengxian county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on March 21.

The civil aviation industry has strictly implemented a flight reward and suspension mechanism and improved epidemic prevention management to contain the spread of COVID-19, said Kong Fanwei, an official with the administration.

As of April 8, 1,555 international flights had been suspended since the mechanism was introduced in June 2020, including 644 flights this year.