‘Don’t Visit Indian Areas’: Air China Withdraws Racist Magazine

Haze Fan, a journalist working with CNBC posted a picture of the “Tips from Air China” section of the in-flight magazine. (Photo: For representational purposes. iStockphoto)

China’s flag carrier Air China was forced to withdraw its in-flight magazine that advised London visitors to be cautious in areas populated by “Indians, Pakistanis and black people”, after the government asked the airline to conduct a probe into the episode.

Shortly after the airline found itself in the centre of a racism controversy, the publisher of Wings of China apologised for the “editing mistake”.

After discovering this problem, Air China immediately removed this magazine from all flights and demanded that the publishers of ‘Wings of China’ seriously learn from this lesson, strengthen their content review and avoid making similar mistakes.

Statement by Air China

Air China’s in-flight magazine has advised London visitors to take “precautions” when entering areas populated by “Indians, Pakistanis and black people”, according to a media report.

Haze Fan, a journalist working with CNBC, posted a picture of the “Tips from Air China” section in the magazine Wings of China, which states that while “London is generally a safe place to travel”, precautions must be taken “when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people”.

While this ‘safety precaution’ already fails us, China’s flagship carrier Air China is not yet done advising its travellers.

The advisory also states that women should “be accompanied by another person while travelling”.

Umm... But London’s Mayor is of Pakistani Origin

The advice is at odds with the London promoted by its Mayor Sadiq Khan, a British national with Pakistani parents, who in July launched a #LondonisOpen campaign. He also frequently blogs about his favourite places to eat and drink in his South London Indian-Pakistani neighbourhood of Tooting.

Labour MP for Ealing Southall Virendra Sharma also expressed his anguish.

Chinese companies have been criticised previously for their depictions of various races. In May, a Chinese laundry detergent-maker apologised for an advertisement that showed an Asian woman shoving a dirt-smeared black man into a washing machine, only for him to emerge as a clean Asian man.

(With inputs from PTI.)