Graft Probe Nets Another Executive at China Southern

At least one senior manager at China Southern Airlines, the mainland's largest airline, has been taken away for investigation as a sector-wide graft probe that saw the removal of four senior managers at the airline in one week earlier this year widens.

Liu Qian, a deputy manager in charge of operations, was taken away on Friday, a source told the South China Morning Post.

A company spokesman said he was "not aware of the situation" and "everything is normal", but he declined to comment on whether Liu was performing his role.

Liu, 52, joined the airline in 2004 from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and has been in charge of flight operations, according to China Southern's website.

China Southern has had a major management reshuffle after four senior executives were detained for "job-related crimes" in January following an inspection by the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The four were chief financial officer Xu Jiebo and three deputy managers: Chen Gang, Zhou Yuehai and Tian Xiaodong.