Flight delayed 5 hours after kid ‘sneaks’ on board

A Juneyao Airlines flight from Beijing to Shanghai was delayed five hours after a child was found in the aircraft without a ticket, the airline said yesterday.

Crew on Flight HO1252, which was scheduled to take off at 6:55 a.m. on Sunday, found the child on board without a ticket.

The child passed the security check, the boarding gate and a final check before boarding the plane with the help of his family. He was accompanied by two adults and another two children, according to the Beijing Capital International Airport.

The five were asked to get off the aircraft, while all other passengers on the flight were asked to go through the security check again.

The flight eventually took off around noon after being delayed for nearly five hours. The child’s age and gender were not given.

According to civil aviation regulations, the security check authority should inspect the certificates of passengers along with other safety checks. If the authority failed to perform the duty, the civil aviation authority can face fines up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,433).

The airline has reported the incident to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which has launched an investigation and will publicize the outcome, the airline told Shanghai Daily.

The Shanghai-based airline issued a statement yesterday to remind passengers that children aged 2 and over need a ticket and must be accompanied by an adult. Even an infant who does not occupy a seat needs an infant ticket.

The airline said it was also investigating the incident with the Beijing airport authority and the agent company which manages passengers.

The parents of the child should take the main responsibility, while the ground service company and airport authority should take minor responsibility, said Li Xiaojin, a civil aviation expert with the Civil Aviation University of China.

“Other passengers on the flight can sue them and ask for compensation for the five-hour delay,” Li said.