China Southern Airlines flight CZ8805 was originally scheduled to take off from the southern city of Sanya to Beijing around 10 a.m. local time on March 6, but it did not depart until around 2:16 p.m. local time, flight-tracking websites Flightradar24 and Flight Aware showed.
In a video shared by multiple state media outlets, a flight attendant is seen questioning a passenger believed to have thrown the coins, asking them how many coins were thrown into the engine. The passenger, whose identity was not revealed in the video or by state media, can be heard on camera saying “three to five” coins.
The passenger who allegedly threw the coins was later taken away by airport police.
The airline said coins were found during security checks, but did not specify how many were located.
“The aircraft maintenance staff conducted a comprehensive safety inspection and determined that there were no safety issues before takeoff,” the airline stated.
