Chinese Passenger Who Threw 'Lucky Coin' into Airplane Engine Ordered to Pay 20 Million Won Compensation to Airline

Photo by People's Daily Overseas Edition

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Heo Midam] A passenger who threw coins at an airplane engine in China to wish for good luck has been ordered to compensate the airline 20 million won.

According to the South China Morning Post on the 3rd, a court in Anhui Province, China, ruled that a man identified as A (28), who threw coins at an airplane engine before boarding in February last year, must pay the airline 120,000 yuan (approximately 20 million won) in compensation.

In February last year, Mr. A threw two coins at the airplane wishing for good luck. One coin was found in the left engine of the aircraft.

Due to this incident, the flight was canceled, and Mr. A was arrested by the police on the same day and was subjected to 10 days of administrative detention for disturbing public order.

Furthermore, the airline suffered losses exceeding 123,000 yuan (approximately 21 million won) due to arranging accommodations and alternative flights for other passengers after the cancellation, and filed a lawsuit against Mr. A in May of the same year.

However, Mr. A claimed that since it was his first time flying, he did not know that throwing coins at the engine was prohibited and argued that the airline should have informed passengers in advance. Nevertheless, the court ruled in favor of the airline.

Meanwhile, in China, there is a superstition that throwing coins at an airplane before boarding ensures a safe journey. Because of this, some passengers occasionally throw coins at airplanes before boarding, causing headaches for airlines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.