News Digest

'Uncivilized traveller' record threat for 25 removed from Chinese plane

Police in China detained 25 passengers after a member of their tour group opened three emergency exit doors while the plane was taxiing, forcing it to abort takeoff. The latest in a growing number of air rage cases involving Chinese travellers happened in the early hours of Saturday morning in the southwestern city of Chengdu, after the China Eastern flight was delayed by a snow storm. Kunming police said in an online statement that Zhou and a tour guide named Li had been placed under 15-day “administrative detention” for opening the doors and inciting passengers with false information.

Opening those doors was extremely dangerous because there was nothing to protect passengers from the force of the engines.

China Eastern maintenance engineer Zhu Yun

The passengers complained about the delay and a lack of ventilation. The plane’s ventilation system had been turned off for 30 minutes during de-icing work to prevent fumes from entering the cabin, China Eastern maintenance engineer Zhu Yun told CCTV. Although the co-pilot had been dispatched to explain, passengers remained irate even after the plane left the gate, reports said. China’s National Tourism Administration said the names of all those found to have been involved will be placed on a “national uncivilized traveller record,” to be distributed to travel related businesses around the country.