Former Deputy Director of General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) Li Jun was appointed as vice general manager of China Eastern Airlines, one of the country's three major airlines.

The appointment that came after the Shanghai-based airline's mid-year report said it suffered losses of 1.46 billion yuan (182.5 million U.S. dollars) in the first six months of this year.

At a meeting of the airline on Wednesday, Li was also announced as secretary of the airline's leading party members' group to replace his predecessor Li Wenxin, who was appointed as secretary of the China Southern Airlines' leading party members' group in Guangzhou in south China.

According to data from the website of CAAC, Li Jun, born in November, 1952 in Mancheng, Hebei province, has been the deputy director of CAAC since 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2006)