Hanoi woman cops year-long flying ban for lifejacket violation

The 53-year-old woman, whose name has not been revealed, resides in Hanoi’s Long Bien District. She will not be allowed on domestic and international flights until July 3 next year, and will be subject to strict security screening at airports for six months after the ban expires, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said Saturday.

On June 2, on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Quy Nhon Town in central Vietnam to Hanoi, she took out the lifejacket from under her seat and tore off its cover without permission or request from the cabin crew.

The Northern Airport Authority imposed a fine of VND2 million ($87) for her violation , but she refused to pay it despite several reminders and warnings.

Lifejackets on aircraft can only be used on the advice of flight attendants in case an emergency landing on water is needed. Any act of removing a life jacket from the position without the flight attendant's request is a serious violation of aviation safety, officials said.

Last year, a woman on a Vietjet flight from Hanoi to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province was fined VND8.5 million for stealing a lifejacket.