A Chinese pilot has been banned from flying following a viral photo showing a female passenger sitting inside the cockpit.
According to Chinese state media, the photo, taken in January on an Air Guilin flight from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, prompted the airline to ban the pilot from flying for life.
The photo, which only went viral this week, depicts a woman posing in the cockpit with refreshment in front of her. According to Air Guilin, the photo serves as an evidence that the pilot violated air safety regulations.
The Global Times reported that the incident in the photo happened on January 4 on flight GT1011 from Guilin city to Yangzhou city in China. However, it was only brought to the attention of the airline after screenshots of the alleged passenger's post went viral on micro-blogging site Weibo.
The post in question depicted the woman doing a V sign with her fingers, most commonly known as the "peace sign," and was captioned: "Thanks to the captain. So happy." News site Chinese News Service stated that the woman in the photo is rumored to be a trainee flight attendant at a Guilin university.
While Air Guilin did not specify whether the photo was taken mid-flight, analysts and Chinese pilots claimed that it appears to have been taken during the flight.
It remains unclear whether the pilot, who was banned from fling for life by the airline, was also dismissed from all his roles at Air Guilin. The Civil Aviation Administration of China emphasized that passengers are not allowed to enter the cockpit without special approval or under "necessary" circumstances.
Meanwhile, an indefinite suspension has been given to all other staff members involved in the incident while further investigations are conducted.
In a statement, the airline said: "Passengers' safety is always Air Guilin's priority. We take a zero-tolerance approach against any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that might risk the aviation safety."
