China regional jets suspend service after malfunction scare

Chinese aircraft maker AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co Ltd Wednesday said it has applied to aviation authorities to suspend the services of its Xinzhou-60 regional jets nationwide after a malfunction scare.

A passenger jet bound for Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, reported a landing gear failure on Tuesday, but managed to land safely after hovering over the Shenyang airport for hours.

The Xinzhou-60 jet, carrying 38 passengers, was operated by privately owned budget airline Okay Airways Company Ltd, headquartered in Beijing.

An initial investigation showed that the landing gear signal system reported a malfunction.

AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co said it will check the signal system of the landing gear of all Xinzhou-60 jets in China and will apply to resume flight services once they make sure all jets are free of safety issues.

Meanwhile, the company said it will send experts to check regional jets operated by its overseas clients.

The Xinzhou-60 model is the only regional jet in commercial service that is designed and manufactured by China.