The airport operator’s clarification came shortly after the Shanghai Clearing House said it had not received the interest payment.

“Our company apologises for the impact on the clearinghouse and creditors after we were unable to pay the principal on time,” Haikou Meilan International Airport said in a statement.

It said it made the transfer of the principal worth 1 billion yuan (US$146 million) on Friday, but as the clearing house’s system had already closed the transaction will now be completed on Monday.

The company, which operates Haikou Meilan airport in China’s southern Hainan province, said it had also deposited interest worth 54 million yuan into the system.

There have been growing concerns that Chinese companies are unable to make full payments on bonds or commercial paper as the economy shows signs of slowing down and a trade war with the United States intensifies.

About 18 Chinese companies, mostly private, have defaulted on payments on 37 corporate bonds worth 41.2 billion yuan (US$6 billion) so far in 2018, with CEFC Shanghai International Group the latest to default on a bond payment due on Monday.