The airline, based in the south-west of China, has now made a promise to stop bullying members after cabin crew were forced to lie in the overhead luggage compartment, reports South China Morning Post.
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At least one woman was almost injured after falling out, having been lifted into the bin against her will. Photos of the unwilling women forced to participate appeared yesterday on WeChat, after being published by the Civil Aviation Tabloid account.
Kunming Airlines issued a statement saying it had looked into the practice, which did not threaten air safety or passenger service, and found it involved individual flight attendants and security staff. It also denied being aware of the practice earlier. It said no complaints had been filed by cabin crew.
According to a report from The Beijing News, Kunming Airline has investigated the incident and claimed that it was an individual case.
But netizens did not believe the company was previously unaware of the practice since it had gone on for four years.
Female cabin crew members were forced into overhead lockers on a plane as part of an initiation ritual for a Chinese airline, according to social media in China.
The post went viral within hours and hit the headlines, prompting the airline to pledge an investigation and punish those responsible.
“The company attaches high importance to this incident and will prevent such things from happening again”, the statement, reported by the BBC, said.
The airline said such inappropriate traditions probably happened after the crew members finished their flight missions.
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The Chinese aviation industry has been growing at a robust rate.
