A stewardess from Urumqi Air was suspended from flying pending further investigation after tasting the leftover airline meals while working, ynet.com reported.
Her behavior was exposed by a recent viral video, which showed the stewardess eating the food from nearly 15 different airline meal trays on the plane. The video sparked heated debate online, with many saying the video made them uncomfortable.
The stewardess was later confirmed to be from Urumqi Air, and the company made a statement that the meals tasted were actually leftover meals.
The statement, released on Thursday on Urumqi Air's official Weibo microblogging account, said that the stewardess in the video had been suspended for violating airplane regulations on disposing of leftover meals.
The company claimed that the stewardess tasted the meals just for entertainment and she posted the video online herself. The company also apologized for the incident and promised to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that similar situations would not happen in the future.
Ynet.com quoted a spokesperson for Urumqi Air as saying that airline meals are exclusively provided to the passengers, while crew members have their own specialized meals. After the passengers have eaten, the leftover and unfinished meals must be thrown into garbage bags and transported to a sorting center to be disposed of. The stewardess' action has seriously violated the company's Cabin Service Regulations.
"The company is now investigating who shot the video. How long the stewardess will be suspended from flying is still under discussion," the spokesperson added.