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BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) – China’s aviation regulator said Monday it is blocking Donghai Airlines from adding new routes, flights and capacity after completing an investigation into a mid-air dispute between members crew on a recent domestic flight.
His pilot’s license, according to Caixin media outlets, blamed a major flight attendant for not clearing his way to the bathroom, Wu Shijie, deputy director of the China Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) Aviation Safety Office, reported to monthly meeting.
The flight attendant will receive a corresponding administrative penalty, Wu added.
Wu did not specify how long the restrictions on routes, flights and capacity would last.
He also did not offer the details of the mid-air fight. Media reports, citing a Wechat account aimed at flights, said the fight between the two men had broken out 50 minutes before the flight landed and the two men were injured.
Shenzhen-based Donghai Airlines, which was said last week to immediately suspend crew members involved in the fighting, could not comment for Monday’s comments.
China is a sticker for aviation safety, having maintained a strong safety record for more than a decade.
In 2018, CAAC had reduced Boeing 737 Air China flights by 10% and suspended pilot and co-pilot licenses after the co-pilot was found to be smoking e-cigarettes , leading to crisis. (Reporting by Stella Qiu in Beijing and Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)