Woman photographed in cockpit a university student

The woman photographed in the cockpit of an Air Guilin plane during a flight has been identified as a student of a local university, and police is mulling taking action against her for endangering the aviation safety, Beijing News reported.

A staff member from the Guilin Tourism University in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region confirmed to the newspaper that the woman was a student majoring in air service at the university.

The university has launched its own probe and interrogated the woman, the staff member said.

The captain who allowed her in the cockpit during the flight has been suspended for life and may lose his license, according Air Guilin. Other on-duty crew members were suspended from flying for 12 months.

Zhang Qihuai, a researcher on air and space law at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the punishment was reasonable, and the woman should also be held accountable for threatening the safety of passengers.

A police officer at the Guilin airport said police would forward the case to the senior level for possible punishment.