Facebook/China People's DailyA flight in China was delayed for five hours after an elderly woman decided to throw coins into the plane’s engine for good luck.
The 80-year-old passenger, known only as Qiu, threw her change into the aircraft’s engine turbine as she boarded the China Southern Airlines flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou.
Concerned passengers alerted airline staff who discovered nine coins in the engine, one of which was really nestled in.
Weibo/China Southern AirlinesWhen she was detained at Shanghai Pudong International Airport the woman told the police that she threw the coins at the plane as she ‘prayed for safety’ and a smooth journey.
China Southern Airlines said in a statement on the microblogging site Weibo:
In order to make sure the flight is safe, China Southern maintenance has conducted a full examination of the plane’s engine.
After an investigation the involved passenger, surnamed Qiu, said she threw the coins to pray for safety.
According to Qiu’s neighbour, Qiu believes in Buddhism.
AsiawireEven if the coin had damaged the engine mid-flight, luckily the plane would not have dropped out of the sky.
However, the woman’s blessings still brought everything but good luck to the flight.
