A China Southern Airlines aircraft which was forced to make an emergency landing at Beijing Capital International Airport on Sunday afternoon shortly after take-off had undergone repairs and been put into normal operation.

Sources with the Beijing office of China Southern Airlines said the plane was found to have problems with its airproofing system after just 20 minutes flying, and the captain decided on an immediate return to the capital airport.

The plane was scheduled to fly to Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province.

Oxygen masks abruptly opened when the aircraft operated unevenly in air and crew members soon concluded the problem was caused by the decrease of air pressure.

Mechanical glitches did not lead to widespread panic among passengers, witnesses said.

Dong Suhua, a passenger flying with the CZ3138 flight, said most passengers were satisfied with the swift reaction of crew members.

He said there was a burning smell inside the cabin, but stewards soon warned them to wear oxygen masks.

The plane then landed at the capital airport safely.

Airlines sources said all the passengers were later transferred to Wuhan on other flights, and technicians at Beijing airport helped fixed the problems.

The problem was reportedly aroused from a loose window pane in the front cabin.

The plane left Beijing at midnight yesterday for Wuhan, according to airline officials.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 737 passenger plane. There were 102 passengers on board at that time.

The aviation control department with Beijing Capital International Airport played an important role in the safe and fast landing of the passenger plane.

Sources with the airport said the aviation radar control department cleared the runway for the emergency landing after receiving the distress message, and helped it land at the earliest opportunity.

The plane was directed to land at a place far from the main buildings of the airport to guarantee all passengers could be evacuated from the aircraft quickly.

China Southern Airlines is the nation's largest domestic airline in terms of plane fleet. It now has 110 Boeing and Airbus planes operating along 341 air routes in the world. Its headquarters is located in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province.

(China Daily February 26, 2002)