At 21:19, August 8, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province in Southwest China (33.2°North, 103.82°East). After the earthquake, CAAC Administrator Feng Zhenglin immediately instructed to initiate Level Ⅲ emergency response for disaster relief. CAAC Deputy Administrator Dong Zhiyi, who was on duty that night, organized an emergency video conference at 23:30, got updates about the situation in quake-hit areas and civil aviation operations there and made arrangements for civil aviation disaster relief.

During the conference, CAAC Southwest Regional Air Traffic Management Bureau reported the conditions of support facilities for communications, navigation and surveillance in Jiuzhai, Hongyuan and Chengdu Airports, and confirmed the normal status of air traffic management and sufficient fuel supply for Jiuzhai and Hongyuan Airports. Civil aviation meteorological authorities reported the weather conditions in the disaster area in Aba Prefecture, and predicted that the weather for the following three days at Jiuzhai and Hongyuan Airports was suitable for flights. Air China reported flight operations in the disaster area, flight schedule for the next day, and preparations for passenger ticket refunding and changing, non-scheduled flights and emergency transport arrangements.

Dong Zhiyi required that each unit shall get prepared as soon as possible on the premise of ensuring their own safety. Once the State of Council assigned emergency missions, all civil aviation entities shall be able to take the responsibilities mainly for the following tasks: first, heads of each unit should be on duty by turns, and major leaders shall organize and implement relevant tasks; second, civil aviation authorities shall ensure the timeliness, accuracy, and smooth transmission of information, and organize relevant relief efforts based on updated information in coordination with the government’s deployment; third, airports shall timely know the newest information on the availability of runways and stands; fourth, airlines shall well facilitate passenger ticket refunding and changing, and prioritize passenger evacuation; fifth, CAAC Southwest Regional Administration shall practically implement Level Ⅲ emergency response requirements for disasters, keep a close contact with the local government, and carry out aviation rescue tasks together with the local government; sixth, CAAC Southwest Air Traffic Management Bureau shall prepare sufficient equipment, facilities and human resources, and provide Jiuzhai and Hongyuan Airports with emergency air traffic management support together with the Second Research Institute of CAAC; seventh, civil aviation meteorological units shall pay particular attention to weather conditions in the disaster area, provide in-time weather forecast for air traffic control and flight support entities, and timely report if any special circumstances are detected..

The emergency video conference arranged the schedule for the joint working group from the National Disaster Reduction Commission and the State Council Earthquake Relief Headquarters, and guaranteed that the group take Air China flight CA412X at 08:30 of August 9 to Jiuzhai Airport for disaster relief and control.

After the quake, various civil aviation units immediately participated in disaster relief and support work. Civil aviation facilities in and near the quake-stricken region such as Jiuzhai Airport, Chengdu Airport, Hongyuan Airport, Mianyang Airport and Guangyuan Airport function as normal. Flight operations were not seriously affected at the night of August 8. The airports would continue to strengthen frontline support, and guarantee safe and smooth transport for disaster relief. Such support entities as CAAC Southwest Air Traffic Management Bureau and Southwest Regional Branch of China National Aviation Fuel initiated their disaster emergency response mechanisms, and established a disaster-relief control center and an emergency disaster relief and support team respectively for air traffic control and aviation fuel supply.

Airlines including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Lucky Air and Suparna Airlines initiated their emergency support mechanisms, proactively arranged their transport capacities, and ensured the smooth transport of disaster relief personnel and materials. They paid a close attention to conditions in the disaster area, and carried out rescue and nonscheduled flight services as needed. They guaranteed normal implementation of flight schedules, and provided free-of-charge ticket refunding and changing services for passengers who had planned to travel to Jiuzhai. General aviation enterprises such as Sichuan Tuofeng, Xilin Fengteng, and Xiang Yun said that they had started their emergency response as well, made relevant preparations for disaster relief, and been ready to follow coordinated arrangements and deploy aircraft to disaster areas.