Li Jian, the vice director of the CAAC, said the airport meets all safety requirement upon construction.

"It is no comparison to big airports but the safety standards are guaranteed."

He said the airport is built with the capacity to accommodate flights during the night.

As of Wednesday night, the Lindu airport remains closed.

FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

Henan Airlines canceled all its flights Wednesday for safety reviews.

An official with Henan provincial aviation regulatory committee said the time to resume operations has not yet been settled.

The cancellation triggered complaints from air travelers in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan.

"Our flight was expected to take off at 8:20 a.m..We were told the flight was canceled much later than that. And the airline gave no explanation," said Yang Ning, a college student, as she was anxiously waiting for air travel clearance.

Staff from Henan Airlines said all passengers whose flights were canceled could contact the airline's ticket office for flight rearrangement.

Previously known as Kunpeng Airlines, the carrier was relaunched as Henan Airlines earlier this year.

It flies smaller regional jets, mainly on routes in north and northeast China. The Harbin-Yichun route was launched only two weeks ago.

EMBRAER ASSISTANCE

The crashed plane is an ERJ-190 jet manufactured by Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer with a maximum passenger capacity of 108.

In its Rio de Janeiro headquarters, Embraer said Wednesday it is sending a team of specialists to Yichun to help investigate the crash.

In a terse statement, the company said it "extends its profound condolences and wishes for recovery to the families and friends of those lost or injured in the accident".