Okay flights halted earlier than expected

China's first private airline, Okay Airways has suspended passenger services 10 days ahead of schedule, as it could not refuel its aircraft due to an ongoing internal management dispute.

From Friday, many airports had insisted on instant cash payments for fuel from the airline after it was asked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to stop passenger flights from Dec 15, over flight safety concerns. Normally airlines get fueled first and then pay the fees on a monthly basis.

"We did not expect the problems to worsen so fast. Our pilots are deeply concerned about this, and this could compromise flight safety," Liu Jieyin, president of Okay Airways, told China Daily.