China Eastern crash is rare disaster for state-run airlines

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — China is, along with North America and Europe, one of the world’s top three air travel markets and has dramatically improved safety since a string of deadly crashes in the 1990s and 2000s. The crash Monday of a China Eastern Airlines flight comes after years free of major air disasters. The country hasn’t suffered a crash of a commercial flight with more than five fatalities since 2010. The ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, also has suffered fatal crashes, but few details are available. Officials said 132 people were aboard the China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou when the plane went down in mountains.