TOKYO - Workers at a western Japanese airport found a 70-centimetre long fracture in the fuselage of a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane, a Japanese official said Friday, weeks after a similar aircraft flown by the company exploded at an airport in the country's south.

China Airlines maintenance workers discovered the 70 centimetre-long hairline crack near the tail of the jet during a routine post-flight inspection Thursday afternoon at Saga Airport on the western Japanese island of Shikoku, Transport Ministry official Rui Mitsuma said.

No anomalies were detected during the plane's flight from Taipei, Mitsuma said. The plane had been slated to make a return trip to Taiwan's capital.

Japanese aviation officials launched an investigation, Mitsuma said.

China Airlines plans to dispatch inspectors and maintenance workers from Taiwan, who were expected to arrive later Friday, he said.

On Aug. 20, a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 that landed at Okinawa's Naha airport exploded in a fireball at the gate seconds after all 157 passengers and eight crew safely evacuated.

Investigators found a bolt on the right wing slat had come loose and pierced a fuel tank, causing fuel to gush out and catch fire.

The incident was a blow to the Taiwanese airline, which has been struggling to shake off its reputation for having a poor safety record.

China Airlines officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment Friday.

Source: CNEWS