Is Air China sorry for an article in its in-flight magazine that's been slammed for "blatant racism"?
The article -- which warned London visitors about going to neighborhoods with large populations of "Indians, Pakistanis and black people" -- set off a storm of protest on social media and prompted a British lawmaker to demand an apology from the airline.
An apology was posted on Air China's North American Twitter account Wednesday afternoon in the U.S., saying copies of the magazine were being removed from flights. But the tweet was deleted hours later without explanation.
Air China representatives in Beijing didn't respond to repeated requests for comment Thursday. The apology didn't appear on Air China's main Twitter account or its official Facebook page.
"London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people," said the offending article, which was spotted by a CNBC journalist. "We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when traveling."

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that it hoped Air China "will properly handle the situation after its investigation."
"I want to emphasize the position of the Chinese government," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing. "We always hold that all races are equal and firmly oppose all forms of racial discrimination."
The statement that was posted and then deleted on Air China's North American Twitter account had expressed "sincere apologies."
The controversy is the latest case of marketing linked to China coming under fire for racism.
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A Chinese company provoked widespread outrage earlier this year with a laundry detergent ad that depicted a black man being thrown into a washing machine and then emerging as a light-skinned Chinese man.
There was also considerable criticism online after the Chinese posters for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" seemed to downplay black actor and co-lead John Boyega.