Okay Air Rapped For Overworking Pilots

China's aviation regulator has banned privately owned Okay Airways from buying more aircraft and ordered it to reduce flying hours, in a rare move by the regulator which said the small carrier was overworking its pilots.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it had made its decision after examining the flight mission documents and crew schedules for 60 pilots and 15 co-pilots from January to May.

In a statement, the CAAC's north China division said it found there were 21 instances in which the crew did not take enough time off and another 65 instances of pilots working overtime.

Okay Airways executives were not available for comment, but the CAAC statement said the carrier had vowed to rectify the issue and abide by safety rules.

Beijing headquartered Okay Airways has a fleet of 30 aircraft - Boeing 737s and Chinese MA60s. Its main hub is Binhai Airport in Tianjin, and it flies mainly domestic routes. It added a few Asian destinations late last year.