Recently, it was reported that a flight of Air China was found to have a security officer carrying a lighter, which was seen by passengers falling out of his pocket, drawing attention.
According to the program “People’s Concern” under Guizhou Television, on June 17th, a passenger named Mr. Wang (alias) told reporters that on Air China flight CA1972 from Changsha to Beijing, about an hour after takeoff, he saw a security officer next to him drop a lighter from his pocket. The officer explained that it was obtained during the inspection of the previous flight; the chief flight attendant stated that carrying a lighter was inappropriate and would be reported.
Mr. Wang expressed his doubts about whether the airline staff could carry lighters onto the plane.
When the “People’s Concern” reporter called Air China for inquiries, the customer service representative stated, “I can’t answer that question.”
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s publication of the “List of Items Prohibited for Passengers to Carry Onboard and Check-In”, lighters are considered items that can cause personal harm or pose significant dangers to aviation safety and transportation order, therefore they are prohibited from being carried onboard.
The topic labeled “Air China Flight Exposed for Security Officer Carrying a Lighter Onboard” immediately caught the attention of the online community.
Netizens commented, “The security officer carrying a lighter onto the plane poses a safety hazard,” “Lighters should not be brought onboard the plane,” “If it’s not exposed, even if everyone suspects it, they won’t say anything, as there is no solid evidence. But now things are different, with instances being caught red-handed… maybe there is more than just one!” “How should this be punished? Isn’t this just the tip of the iceberg?”
“If a security officer with ill intentions gets on the plane, can’t he take everyone on the plane with him!”
“I once took an Eastern Airlines flight, and there was a clear cigarette smell near the emergency exit, raising serious suspicions that the pilot was smoking during the flight.”