Flight delayed after passenger throws coins into engine to pray for luck

Flight CZ8805 was originally scheduled to depart from Sanya City to Beijing at around 10 a.m. on March 6 (local time), according to CNN.

However, the flight could not depart until around 2 p.m. after a flight attendant discovered that a passenger had thrown coins into the engine.

Upon being questioned, the passenger admitted he threw three to five coins into the engine to pray for luck, CNN said citing a source from Chinese state media.

To ensure safety, the flight crew checked the engine, and the coins were found.

The passenger who allegedly threw the coins into the engine was later detained by police, according to 1News.

China Southern Airlines said similar incidents of passengers throwing coins at planes for "good luck" have occurred in recent years in China.

In a post on China's largest social media channel Weibo on March 6, the airline warned that throwing coins into airplane engines was not only "uncivilized behavior" but also threatened aviation safety and would be punished.

Last year, a China Southern Airlines flight was delayed in Guangzhou after a passenger was found throwing coins towards the plane.

In 2021, a flight between Weifang and Haikou was cancelled when several coins wrapped in red paper were discovered on the ground.