CNN reported that a flight in China was delayed for more than four hours after a passenger threw coins into the plane's engine.
Accordingly, China Southern Airlines flight CZ8805 was originally scheduled to take off from the southern city of Sanya, Hainan Island to Beijing at around 10:00 a.m. (local time) on March 6, but did not depart until around 2:16 p.m., based on data from two flight tracking websites Flightradar24 and Flight Aware.
Video footage posted by state media shows a flight attendant questioning the passenger about the number of coins he threw into the engine, with the passenger replying: “3 to 5.”
A representative of China Southern Airlines said the passenger was detained by airport security. The airline also confirmed that coins were found, but did not say how many. The passenger's identity was not disclosed.
"The aircraft maintenance staff conducted a comprehensive safety check and determined that there were no safety issues before takeoff," China Southern Airlines confirmed.
On Weibo, China Southern Airlines issued a warning against "uncivilized behavior", saying "throwing coins at aircraft poses a threat to aviation safety and will result in different levels of punishment".
Passengers throwing coins into plane engines for "good luck" has been a common occurrence in China in recent years.
Last October, a China Southern Airlines flight was delayed in Guangzhou after a passenger threw coins at the plane.
In 2021, a GX Airlines flight between Weifang and Haikou was cancelled when several coins wrapped in red paper were discovered on the ground.
And in 2017, an elderly passenger threw coins at a China Southern Airlines plane while boarding at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, saying it was a "prayer for a safe flight."
Minh Hoa (reported by Thanh Nien, Dan Tri)
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