Passengers on Wednesday's China Southwest Airlines Flight 4162 have accused the airline of endangering their lives in the rush to take off and are asking for compensation, according to Friday's China Daily.

They claim the air carrier tried to take off from Beijing to Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou Province, without solving a nagging mechanical problem - an oil leak.

An airline spokesman refuted the charges and said the plane was sound when the pilots began preparations for take-off from Beijing Capital International Airport.

The Boeing 757 first experienced trouble with its oil intake Wednesday afternoon, and passengers were told to rest at a nearby hotel while technicians fixed it.

The passengers then boarded the plane again in the evening, only to find oil leaking off the wings when the plane headed down the runway in preparation for take-off.

They immediately told the captain about the problem and take-off was aborted.

Zeng Jin, China Southwest spokesman, said the problem with the oil intake was fixed before pilots resumed operation, but that a larger system overhaul could be done only after the plane returned to its air base in Guiyang. He said the emergency temporary fix would suffice to get the plane to Guiyang.

Most of the passengers returned to the hotel, at the airline's expense, and took another flight to Guiyang the next morning.

The plane in question ultimately landed in Guiyang at 1:30 am yesterday. There were 12 passengers on board.

Zeng said the plane had been fully repaired yesterday and had resumed operation between Beijing and Guiyang.

No passengers were available for comment yesterday. But waiters at the Yong'an Hotel, where many of the passengers had stayed, said many of the passengers talked of suing the airline because they felt their safety was endangered.

China Consumers Association also paid attention to the dispute, though no consumers had asked the association to help solve the problem.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2001)