27-2-2024 (SINGAPORE) In a controversial incident at the Singapore Airshow, visitors of Chinese and Russian nationalities were allegedly barred from boarding an Airbus military transport aircraft. According to accounts on Weibo, at least two Chinese visitors and several Russian visitors were affected by the entry restrictions.
The incident took place on February 24, 2024, the first day the Airshow was open to the public. One attendee, who goes by the username @Plan_DDG172, claimed that a “German serviceman” forcefully removed him from the aircraft upon learning about his Chinese nationality. He took to Weibo to share his unpleasant encounter, sparking a wave of discussion and concern.
According to @Plan_DDG172, he had gone to see an A400M aircraft, a military transport plane stationed at the outdoor exhibition area of the German Air Force. However, he was surprised to find a staff member conducting what he referred to as “private checks” on visitors of East Asian descent. When it was noticed that he held a Chinese passport, he was allegedly informed that Chinese visitors were not allowed to enter and view the aircraft.
In response, @Plan_DDG172 argued that he held a valid ticket to the Airshow and insisted that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of their race or nationality, as long as they followed the event’s rules. Despite the initial confrontation, he managed to enter the aircraft when there was no one to stop him.
This video is making rounds in Chinese social media, where a Chinese visitor was denied entry into a static display of a Luftwaffe Airbus A400M aircraft.
Airbus has apologized on Sunday after several Chinese tourists said they were denied entry to an A400M the Singapore Airshow. pic.twitter.com/I2KOGkONVd
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) February 26, 2024
However, as he entered the exhibition, another staff member approached him and demanded that he put his phone down. This staff member, who he identified as a “German serviceman,” allegedly shouted “Chinese go out!” in front of other visitors. When @Plan_DDG172 attempted to speak to staff members near the entrance of the aircraft, he claimed that the “German serviceman” aggressively pushed him along the rear ramp, causing him to sprain his ankle and almost fall off the plane.
@Plan_DDG172 expressed his confusion over the lack of physical signs indicating a passport check or the prohibition of Chinese nationals from boarding the aircraft. He questioned why only visitors of East Asian descent were subjected to passport checks while visitors of other races, who had purchased the same tickets, were not. He filed a complaint with the event organizer but was surprised to learn that no similar complaints had been received regarding the exhibition area.
Another Weibo user, @Qianzhanqifei, corroborated @Plan_DDG172’s account, stating that he witnessed at least five other Chinese visitors, including a young child, being denied entry to the aircraft. @Qianzhanqifei also claimed that all Russian visitors were stopped from boarding the aircraft by a male Airbus employee conducting the passport checks.
In response to the controversy, Airbus China released a statement on Weibo expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to the affected visitors.
