China aviation authorities take after-quake emergency measures

BEIJING - China's civil aviation authorities Saturday said that emergency measures have been taken after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake jolted Kangding county in Southwest China's Sichuan province earlier Saturday.

The epicenter of the quake was about 15 km from the Kangding Airport, and across-the-board checks on facilities and equipment have been conducted at the airport and neighboring Jiuzhai Huanglong and Daocheng airports, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Terminal buildings and control towers of these airports are functioning normally, and the quake has not impacted the operation of these airports, the CAAC said in a statement.

The wall of the employee living quarters at Kangding airport was cracked with windows damaged, but there was no report of casualties, according to the statement.

Relevant aviation officials in the region have been ordered to be on duty to guarantee easily accessible communication and logistics for after-quake relief, said the CAAC.

Air China, Sichuan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are ready to dispatch planes to fly to quake-hit areas, said the CAAC.