China clips Air China's wings after descent scare

China's aviation regulator will cut flights by Air China's Boeing 737 fleet by 10% and cancel the licenses of the pilot and co-pilot involved in an emergency descent last week, Chinese state TV said Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) will also launch a safety crackdown on the state-backed Chinese flag carrier for three months and fine the airline 50,000 yuan ($7,460), China Central Television said on its WeChat account. The cuts to the carrier's Boeing 737 flight hours amount to 5,400 hours a month, it added. It also suspended the licenses of other staff involved in the emergency incident, which was linked to a co-pilot smoking in the cockpit. BOCOM International analyst Geoffrey Cheng said the punishment would likely have an impact on Air China's flight schedules, especially as it entered a peak travel season, but could also prompt the airline to rationalize its network to cut poorly performing routes. "It could have pros and cons," he said.<br/>