Passenger Caught Vaping on Plane; Shanghai Airlines Working With Police

A report about a passenger vaping on Shanghai Airlines flight FM9235 has attracted public attention. According to Dongfang Net, the airline is actively verifying the situation and cooperating with the police for an investigation. Let's take a look at what happened!
 
It is understood that the incident occurred on flight FM9235, which took off from Urumqi Airport at 12:42 PM on August 2 and arrived at Karamay Airport at 1:22 PM. According to a video provided by netizens, the passenger was sitting by the window in the cabin, quietly vaping. The smoke produced by the passenger was quite visible in the video. According to the cabin announcement at the time, the plane was in its descent phase.

In response, Dongfang Net contacted Shanghai Airlines. The airline stated that they are aware of the reports from netizens regarding a passenger vaping during the descent of a flight on August 2. The company is actively verifying the situation and cooperating with the police for an investigation.

According to netizens, the passenger was caught vaping during the descent phase of the flight, but they did not provide a specific seat number, and several days have passed, so the investigation is still ongoing. According to regulations, during takeoff or descent, cabin crew must remain seated in designated seats to ensure safety and cannot provide cabin services, which is why they were unable to monitor the passenger vaping. Additionally, other passengers did not inform the crew at the time.

In fact, there are clear and strict requirements prohibiting smoking on airplanes. The "Notice from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Maintaining Civil Aviation Order and Ensuring Aviation Transportation Safety" explicitly lists "smoking (including e-cigarettes)" as a prohibited behavior on aircraft. In 2006, the Civil Aviation Administration issued a specific notice banning the use of "like smoke" atomized e-cigarettes on airplanes. Some airlines' safety instructions also clearly state that e-cigarettes cannot be used in the cabin.

During interviews, Dongfang Net found that some passengers believe that taking a puff is a minor issue. In response, industry experts clearly pointed out that e-cigarettes are still smoke; although they do not require an open flame to ignite, they still produce vapor, which can pollute the cabin environment and affect passengers' health. Vaping in the restroom could trigger smoke detectors, directly interfering with the normal operation of the flight. "Passengers who vape in the restroom often do so out of a sense of false security, thinking that a quick 'hit' won't be discovered. This kind of false sense of security leads to a significant disregard for risks, ultimately resulting in legal consequences."

Experts also urge passengers to not only film and expose such behavior but also to promptly stop the dangerous act of smoking in the cabin or inform the crew about the situation.

Shanghai Airlines once again reminds all passengers that smoking (including e-cigarettes) is strictly prohibited throughout the flight. If similar situations are discovered, passengers can report them to the crew or security personnel to help maintain a safe, healthy, and orderly flying environment.