A flight in China faced a significant delay on Wednesday, lasting more than four hours, due to a passenger reportedly tossing coins into the aircraft's engine. The incident occurred during China Southern Airlines flight CZ8805, scheduled to depart from Sanya for Beijing at approximately 10 am local time on March 6.

According to reports citing flight-tracking websites Flightradar24 and Flight Aware, the flight didn't take off until 2:16 pm local time. A video circulating on various media platforms allegedly shows a flight attendant questioning a passenger suspected of throwing the coins, asking how many were thrown. The passenger apparently admitted to tossing "three to five" coins, though the video's authenticity remains unverified.

Airport police reportedly escorted the accused passenger away following the incident. While coins were found during security checks, the airline did not specify the exact number retrieved. However, maintenance staff conducted a thorough safety inspection and confirmed no issues before departure, as reported by state media.

China Southern Airlines addressed the incident on their Chinese social media account, Weibo, cautioning against "uncivilized behaviors" and highlighting the dangers posed by throwing objects at aircraft. The post emphasized that such actions threaten aviation safety and may lead to various penalties. Notably, the airline refrained from directly mentioning this specific occurrence.

Throwing coins at planes for good luck has been reported in China before, illustrating a concerning trend of risking safety in pursuit of superstition.

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