The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has fined Emirates (EK, Dubai International) CNY29,000 yuan (USD4,270) and barred from adding new routes and frequencies into China for six months.

The regulator said in a statement on Wednesday, June 14, that the sanctions were imposed in relation to two operational incidents that occurred in April and May of this year.

In the first incident occurred during an Emirates flight on April 17 where crew misunderstood air traffic control instructions and flew at an incorrect height while over Urumqi, western China. The second incident occurred on May 18 and involved a loss of communications between an Emirates flight and ATC. CAAC says its investigations have pointed to a possible error on the flight crew's part.

CAAC officials from its Xinjiang and central and southern branches have met with Emirates representatives to review the carrier's operations, the regulator said.

Emirates currently serves Beijing Capital, Guangzhou, Shanghai Pudong, Yinchuan, and Zhengzhou with 23,926 seats per week or 2.18% of its total weekly capacity.