Air Transport

China's Shandong Airlines and Shanghai Airlines resumed Bombardier CRJ200 operations last week following a government decision to partially lift a ban that had been in place since the 21 November crash of a China Yunnan Airlines CRJ200.

But the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had last week not lifted the suspension against China Yunnan. A CAAC source says this suspension will be lifted "some time later" and a China Yunnan source says it has no idea when operations will resume as it is still awaiting approval from CAAC.

China Yunnan Airlines has five CRJ200s remaining, while Shandong operates nine and Shanghai five.

"The CAAC has conducted thorough maintenance and safety checks of the CRJ200 fleet in China and their decision to reinstate scheduled service clearly demonstrates their confidence in the Bombardier CRJ200's safety and performance capabilities," says the Canadian manufacturer.

China Eastern Airlines' Yunnan Airlines unit was operating the CRJ200, which crashed soon after take-off from the Inner Mongolian city of Baotou en route to Shanghai. It crashed into a frozen lake, killing all 47 passengers and six crew on board.