Delayed air
passengers opened three emergency exits, aborting their flight's takeoff from
Chengdu, according to Chinese state media. Twenty-five passengers were detained
after China's latest 'air rage' incident.
Passengers
frustrated by China's fast growing but delay-plagued aviation sector opened
their plane's exits on Saturday, forcing the China Eastern flight to taxi back
to the terminal.
China's
state news agency Xinhua said the incident happened early on Saturday morning
when China Eastern's flight to Beijing was delayed by a snow storm.
Passengers
had been left waiting in their seats for hours as ice was removed from the
plane's fuselage. The flight had already been delayed for five hours before
boarding.
Pair
accused of inciting passengers
Kunming
province police in an online statement cited by the AFP news agency said a man
named Zhou and a tour guide identified as Li had been put in 15-day
"administrative detention" for opening exits and "inciting"
other passengers.
An
unidentified passenger quoted by Xinhua said the flight's vice captain
"swore and cursed" during the runway delay, leaving occupants worried
he was unable to control himself.
Other
delayed passengers later traveled on another flight to Beijing, Xinhua said.
Second
biggest in aviation sector
China's air travel market has become the world's second biggest but the world's worst for
flight delays, because of heavy traffic and military control of airspace.
Unruly
behavior, some filmed and posted online, has become more frequent.
Last month,
two women brawled on a flight from Chongqing to Hong Kong, during an argument
about seating arrangements and a noisy child, according to Chinese media.
Chongqing's
Morning Post newspaper decried what it termed as rude behavior by airline
customers.
In another
incident reported by Chinese media in December, a first-time passenger opened
an emergency exit, reportedly to get some fresh air, as a flight from Hangzhou
to Chengdu was preparing for takeoff.
Hot noddles
flung
And, hot
noodles were flung by a Chinese tourist, scalding an AirAsia flight attendant,
during a flight to China, forcing its crew of a budget flight to return to
Bangkok and make an emergency landing.
Ensuing
social media discussion was intense and focused on China's tourist reputation.
Last month,
Chinese state media said authorities were planning to build a third airport in
Beijing to handle the rising demand for air transport among China's growing
middle class.
Lengthy
tarmac waits prompted US aviation authorities in 2010 to require planes to
return to the terminal after a wait of three hours.
Last July,
Germany's Lufthansa signed a partnership with Air China, aiming to forge a
stronger presence in the Chinese aviation market.
No comments:
Post a Comment