Elderly woman delays plane for five hours after throwing coins into engine for 'good luck'

An elderly passenger delayed a flight in Shanghai after throwing coins into the engine for good luck.

The 80-year-old woman hurled nine coins at the China Southern Airlines plane as she “prayed for safety” on Tuesday, Chinese police confirmed.

Bemused passengers alerted staff after seeing the passenger launch coins into the engine from a boarding staircase in the middle of the plane while reciting “blessings”, according to the South China Morning Post.

Some 150 passengers were delayed for five hours while police investigated the incident.

Maintenance crews said if the coins had been sucked into the engine it could have caused serious damage or even failure.

China Southern Airlines told local media that passengers were reminded to comply with civil aviation laws and regulations, which prohibit behaviour that could jeopardise the safety of the flight.