BEIJING: A Chinese pilot has been banned from flying after a photo went viral showing a female passenger in the cockpit.
The photo was taken in January on an Air Guilin flight from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, state media outlet The Global Times said, but was widely shared this week – prompting the airline to take action.
It shows a woman posing in the cockpit with refreshments laid out next to her. Air Guilin said in a statement the pilot had violated air safety regulations.
But it was brought to the airline’s attention on Sunday after screenshots of the alleged passenger’s post started being shared widely on 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 is rumored to be a flight attendant in training at a Guilin university, according to news site Chinese News Service.
Air Guilin did not specify if the photo was taken mid-flight, but Chinese pilots and analysts said the photo appears to have been taken during the flight.
(Agencies)
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