The airline found itself in trouble just a day after Chinese authorities blocked the website and apps of hotel chain Marriott over a similar issue.
Delta Air Lines is facing political headwinds in China.
Chinese authorities are publicly scolding the U. S. airline for listing Taiwan and Tibet as «countries» on its website.
The Chinese government in Beijing considers Taiwan and Tibet to be part of its territory and comes down hard on any suggestions to the contrary.
China’s civil aviation regulator has contacted Delta and instructed the company to rectify the issue immediately, according to a notice posted on the agency’s website Friday.
«In the meantime, the Civil Aviation Administration of China demands that Delta Air Lines apologize immediately and publicly,» it said.
Delta ( DAL) said it recognizes the seriousness of the issue and took immediate steps to resolve it.
«It was an inadvertent error with no business or political intention, and we apologize deeply for the mistake,» the company said in a statement to CNNMoney. «As one of our most important markets, we are fully committed to China and to our Chinese customers.»
Taiwan appeared in the list of countries on Delta’s website in both Chinese and English on Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear where Tibet was referred to as a country.
Also on Friday, Shanghai’s internet authority summoned representatives of European clothing retailer Zara, chastising the company for listing Taiwan as a «country» and ordering it to rectify the situation immediately.
