747 flight ban denied

　　AIR China Monday denied a report that its Boeing 747s were banned from flying to Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK) because of maintenance problems.Yesterday’s China Daily quoted sources with China’s flagship carrier as saying: “All our Boeing 747s are in excellent mechanical condition, and safe for operation.”The sources said their 747s had not been flying the Busan route largely because of the relatively small airport there. Smaller Boeing 737, 767 and 777 are now available on the route.The Associated Press Sunday reported that the ROK Government had banned Air China from flying Boeing 747-200s to Busan, where an Air China jumbo jet crashed in April. Korean Transportation Ministry officials were quoted as saying Chinese airlines can fly other types of aircraft to Busan.However, the sources admitted that they had received an urgent notice Monday from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), China’s aviation watchdog, to stop flying 767s to Busan. The reasons are still not clear and the notice applies to all domestic airlines.Air China sources refused to comment on the ban on Boeing 767 aircraft. They said they are confident of the performances of their aircraft and pilots. (Xinhua)