YICHUN, Heilongjiang - Henan Airlines' senior management apologized on Thursday to families of the victims and to the entire country for Tuesday's deadly air crash.
A Brazilian-made ERJ-190 jet owned by Henan Airlines that carried 96 people crashed during its landing on Tuesday at the Yichun Airport, killing 42 and injuring 54.
Liu Hang, chairman of the board of supervisors of Henan Airlines, made repeated apologies, sometimes crying, at a press conference in Yichun on Thursday.
All Henan Airlines flights are still grounded as of Thursday. The airlines has sacked its general manager Li Qiang and appointed an acting manager Cao Bo to replace him, Xinhua cited China's aviation authority on Wednesday. Cao served as the chief pilot of Shenzhen Airlines, the parent company of Henan Airlines.
Lu Erxue, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said at Thursday's news conference that 15 injured passengers in critical condition were airlifted to Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, for treatment at four hospitals on Wednesday.
The transferred passengers include five children, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Four children suffered burns and three are in critical condition, said Wang Yongchen, deputy chief of First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
Wang is caring for 10 out of the 15 injured passengers airlifted to Harbin.
"Some children can speak and you cannot see any obvious burns on their skin, but their respiratory tracts are damaged (from smoke and fumes) to such an extent that it is life-threatening," Wang said.
The children are being treated at the intensive-care units at the hospital.
"The next 48 hours are crucial," he said.
The airport in Yichun, which was closed after the accident, reopened on Thursday with the first landing 40 hours after the plane crash.
An Airbus 320, run by China Southern Airlines, landed at the Yichun Airport at around 12:45 pm with 62 passengers, Xinhua reported. China Daily
