Aviation authorities order 737 checks
By Winny Wang |
April 11, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S civil aviation regulator has ordered domestic carriers to check for cracks on aging Boeing 737 aircraft after the fuselage of a Southwest Airlines Co jet ruptured in flight earlier this month.
The inspection applies to B737-300, 400 and 500 jets that have accumulated 30,000 or more flight cycles, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said. A cycle is one take-off and landing.
The move is to prevent the sudden loss of cabin pressure led by fuselage ruptures, its directive said.
Airlines must check their planes within 20 days if the airframe has accumulated between 30,000 and 35,000 flight cycles, and within four days if the airframe has accumulated 35,000 or more flight cycles, the administration said.
For airplanes that have performed less than 30,000 cycles, the checks must be done before they reach the threshold.
China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier by fleet size, and Air China, the flagship international carrier, said that there was no need for "urgent checks" on B737s as their planes didn't meet the inspection requirements.
Boeing Co has also asked airlines to check Boeing 737 jets for metal fatigue. A total of 175 Boeing jets required urgent checks worldwide, with 80 in the United States but few in China.
A fuselage rupture forced a Southwest Airlines plane, carrying 118 passengers, to make an emergency landing on April 1 in an Arizona desert city. No one was injured in the incident
The Southwest's plane will be 15 years old in June and had flown 39,781 cycles, according to the US airlines.
The inspection applies to B737-300, 400 and 500 jets that have accumulated 30,000 or more flight cycles, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said. A cycle is one take-off and landing.
The move is to prevent the sudden loss of cabin pressure led by fuselage ruptures, its directive said.
Airlines must check their planes within 20 days if the airframe has accumulated between 30,000 and 35,000 flight cycles, and within four days if the airframe has accumulated 35,000 or more flight cycles, the administration said.
For airplanes that have performed less than 30,000 cycles, the checks must be done before they reach the threshold.
China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier by fleet size, and Air China, the flagship international carrier, said that there was no need for "urgent checks" on B737s as their planes didn't meet the inspection requirements.
Boeing Co has also asked airlines to check Boeing 737 jets for metal fatigue. A total of 175 Boeing jets required urgent checks worldwide, with 80 in the United States but few in China.
A fuselage rupture forced a Southwest Airlines plane, carrying 118 passengers, to make an emergency landing on April 1 in an Arizona desert city. No one was injured in the incident
The Southwest's plane will be 15 years old in June and had flown 39,781 cycles, according to the US airlines.
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