China: A passenger threw a coin into the plane's turbines

It is a superstitious ritual in which the engine acts as a kind of good wish.

Traveler has on Hainan holiday island in southern China Coins were thrown into the plane's turbines, delaying the plane's takeoff for hours.

The airline in question confirmed that the airport police took the passenger away China Southern Airlines Chinese State Radio. The plane was supposed to fly from Sanya to Beijing on Wednesday morning (local time), but according to media reports, the flight was delayed by nearly four hours.

In recent years, air travelers in China have repeatedly thrown coins into aircraft turbines. In superstitious rituals, the engine may function as a kind of good wish with which passengers wish for a safe journey. However, the flight and ground crews were then forced to carry out a tedious inspection of the turbines, resulting in long delays.

In February 2019, a man was placed in disciplinary detention for 10 days after he threw a coin into an engine, causing his domestic flight to be cancelled. According to media reports, he was later ordered to pay 120,000 yuan (about 15,200 euros) to the airlines involved.