Pilots reportedly fight in cockpit, budget airline punished

BEIJING - Two pilots of a Chinese budget airline reportedly came to blows during a flight in June, resulting in punishment including 10 percent cut to the airline's flight hours starting Tuesday.

China United Airlines (CUA) was told it could not launch any new air routes or charter flights by the civil aviation authority after a string of safety violations since June.

The cock-pit fight was made public by the north China regional branch of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which announced the punishment in a recent statement. Details of the incident, however, are thin on the ground. It is, for example, unclear how many people were onboard when the incident occurred.

CUA on Monday played down the incident, saying the pilots had misunderstood each other and it was just "some physical contact", but did not escalate into a fight.

Those involved have been grounded for six months, the airline added.

According to the CAAC statement, CUA was punished due to a series of safety incidents this year, including three incidents in June and July that "seriously violated regulations."

Founded in 1984, CUA is a subordinate company under China Eastern Airlines. The company shifted its focus to providing low-cost air services in 2014.