A Boeing Co. warning about defective fuel pumps does not apply to any aircraft in its fleet, China Eastern Airlines Co. Ltd. said yesterday.

"Of the 70 aircraft operated by China Eastern, fewer than 10 are Boeing planes," China Eastern spokeswoman Tang Jian told Shanghai Daily. "And none of them are the suspect plane models mentioned by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing."

Shanghai Airlines, which received three Boeing aircraft this year, declined to say whether any of its planes were affected.

A week ago, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer issued an "all-operators Telex" after discovering several faulty fuel pumps installed in Boeing 737-NGs, 747s and 757s from January to August.

Boeing said in a statement that bundles of electric wires folded inside the pump chamber had been improperly routed, leading to chafing and wearing of the wires and electrical shorts. These could ignite fuel vapor in the tank and cause explosions, it said.

The company advised affected airlines to keep pump inlets immersed in fuel under all operating conditions until it could replace the pumps.

A total of 116 planes around the world have the suspect fuel pumps.

( eastday.com September 4,2002)