China: Air Guilin Pilot suspended for life after passenger cockpit photo goes viral

The Captain of a Chinese airliner who allegedly allowed a young woman passenger into the cockpit during a flight has been suspended for life after her photo went viral, according to state media reports.

A photo of the woman sitting in the cockpit of the airplane with her fingers making a V-shaped sign and cups of drinks on her knees has been circulating on social media since Sunday, The Global Times reported.

While the Pilot was not named, the report said the other crew members of Air Guilin who were involved in the incident have been suspended indefinitely. They will undergo further investigation by the company, Air Guilin said.

The incident took place on Jan 04 on flight GT1011 from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, the report said. The violation was noticed by the airliner on Sunday after screenshots of the alleged passenger’s post started being shared widely on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo.

The post showed the woman making a V sign with her fingers - a popular pose in China - with the photo captioned: “Thanks to the captain. So happy.” The woman was reported to be a flight attendant in training at a Guilin university, according to news site Chinese News Service.

Chinese Pilots and analysts said the photo appears to have been taken during the flight, The Global Times reported.

The captain violated regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) by allowing an unauthorized person into the cockpit, the Air Guilin statement said.

Air Guilin is an airline based at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport in Guangxi and is a joint venture between the Guilin Municipal Government and HNA Group, a Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Haikou, Hainan.

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