Man gets nine-month flight ban after not paying smoking fine

Duong Van Thanh, 23, flew on the VJ134 flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on June 29. Despite being warned by a flight attendant that it was a non-smoking flight, he continued to smoke, media reports said.

When the plane landed in Hanoi, airport security apprehended Thanh and handed him over to the Northern Airports Authority, which said he has to pay a fine for his offense. The fine amount has not been revealed. According to regulations, those caught smoking on a plane may be fined up to VND5 million ($213.76).

After Thanh failed to pay the fine by the deadline, the authority slapped a nine-month flight ban from August 10, 2022 to May 9, 2023. This means that Thanh cannot use domestic or international carriers for domestic or international flights from Vietnam during the ban period.

Last month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) requested the compilation of a list of troublemakers who regularly violate regulations so they can be banned from flying. The directive was issued after several incidents of passengers causing havoc at airports.

Recent cases include a passenger putting a mobile phone against a plane window to capture pictures of clouds, which could pose explosion risk, and a woman dancing for a TikTok video at the Phu Quoc Airport tarmac near a running airplane.