Confirmation of the warning came Wednesday from China's aviation administrator.

Sources with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China said they would order domestic airlines to carry out checks on the potentially problematic components.

Boeing is the major aircraft supplier to China's civil aviation market.

But sources said there was no cause for alarm, pointing out that aircraft manufacturers issued dozens of airworthiness directives each year, most of which relate to small technical glitches or simple precautionary measures.

"Air carriers check the mechanical condition of their planes carefully before allowing each to take off, so passengers should have confidence in the operating safety of airliners," a source said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States ordered airlines to inspect fuel pumps on Boeing jets on Tuesday to determine if they have a flaw that could lead to an explosion.

The order expanded a previous FAA advisory notice issued on August 30 which affected certain Boeing 737s and all 747s and 757s.

The Chicago-based Boeing Company said further investigations revealed that more fuel pumps than previously thought may have a certain configuration of wire bundles.

(China Daily September 26, 2002)