Provoked delay

Man used airplane turbine as a wishing well

A turbine is a very sensitive component that should not be damaged in any way - even small loose parts could have fatal consequences.

(Bild: APA/dpa-Zentralbild/Patrick Pleu)

A traveler has thrown coins into an aircraft turbine on the southern Chinese vacation island of Hainan, delaying the plane's take-off by hours. The passenger was taken away by airport police, the airline Southern China Airlines confirmed to Chinese state radio.

The plane was due to fly from Sanya to Beijing on Wednesday morning (local time), but was delayed for almost four hours, according to media reports.

Coin toss should bring good luck
In recent years, air travelers in China have repeatedly thrown coins into the turbines of aircraft. In this superstitious ritual, the engine probably acts as a kind of wishing well, with which passengers wish for a safe journey.

However, the flight and ground crew then had to inspect the turbines at great expense, which led to long delays.

Costly superstition
In February 2019, a man spent ten days in disciplinary detention after his coin toss into an engine caused a domestic flight to be canceled. According to media reports, he was later sentenced to pay 120,000 yuan (around 15,200 euros) to the airlines concerned.