Chinese passenger fined $175 for bomb hoax at Vietnam airport

Vietnam's aviation authorities have fined a Chinese national and are considering banning her from flying after she caused a bomb scare at an airport in Vietnam's northern port city of Hai Phong.

Fen Chengyu, 25, was overheard claiming she had a bomb while preparing to board a VietJet Air flight at Cat Bi International Airport on Thursday morning, according to local media.

Following the incident, the airport's authorities immediately evacuated all passengers, blocked Fen and her companions from boarding their flight and searched their belongings but were unable to find any explosive device.

The flight took off on schedule, without Fen and her two co-travelers.

Under questioning, Fen said she had been arguing with her two companions and told them she had a bomb because she did not want to board the flight, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

The Northern Airport Authority fined Fen VND4 million ($175) for the false bomb threat and recommended imposing a flight ban on her, Thanh Nien said.

Vietnam imposes flight bans of up to a year for travelers who disrupt order on flights or in airports, make bomb threats or use fake papers to travel. Repeat offenses are subject to an indefinite ban.

The country imposed a record 40 flight bans last year as the country’s air travel industry reached new heights.

Most passengers were punished for smoking, fighting or stealing on flights.

Vietnam served more than 94 million air passengers in 2017, up 16 percent from a year ago, including 13 million foreigners.