Airline speaks out about why votive horses were left at Noi Bai

After 3 weeks of traveling in Vietnam, in early August, Mexican tourist Arnaud Zein El Din went to Noi Bai airport to return home. A video of him carrying a suitcase in one hand and a paper horse in the other went viral on social media. The horse was later abandoned by the airline, even though it had passed through security.

Hãng hàng không lên tiếng về lý do ngựa vàng mã bị bỏ lại ở Nội Bài - Ảnh 1. — The guest hugged the votive horse and luggage at Noi Bai airport.

Mr. Arnaud Zein El Din, an architect, said he bought the paper horse for 100,000 VND along with many souvenirs and items from Vietnam such as a conical hat, a water pipe, a sedge mat, a mask, a fishing rod, a stone mortar and pestle, a beer mug, etc. to bring back to Mexico. He bought the paper horse in Dong Anh as a gift for his daughter. In Mexican culture, there are a number of souvenirs similar to this paper horse.

On forums, many people believe that airlines refuse to transport votive horses because they may be too large for carry-on luggage or because flight attendants recognize them as spiritual items, which can easily make passengers feel scared or uncomfortable...

Speaking to the local press, he said that when he checked in at the airline counter at Noi Bai airport, the staff saw the horse and warned him that he could not bring it with him. Then, right before boarding the plane, the staff forced him to leave the item behind.

Many people also reviewed the regulations of the Vietnam aviation authority on the list of dangerous items prohibited and restricted from being carried on planes as carry-on baggage but did not find the paper horse on the list. At the same time, they concluded that banning passengers from bringing paper horses on planes was emotional and unjustified.

Responding to Thanh Nien, a representative of Emirates airline (headquartered in Dubai) said that the airline transported passenger Arnaud Zein El Din from Noi Bai airport. "According to the regulations on hand luggage, economy class stipulates that each passenger is allowed to bring 1 piece of hand luggage weighing 7 kg and measuring no more than 55 x 38 x 20 cm. In this case, the passenger brought oversized hand luggage including a suitcase, a backpack and a paper horse (as seen in videos circulating on social media - PV). At the check-in counter before entering the security control gate, the passenger received an explanation as well as full information about the hand luggage limit and complied with the regulations by rearranging the luggage. However, when arriving at the boarding gate, the passenger brought oversized luggage. Here, the passenger was instructed to rearrange the luggage according to regulations and proactively left the oversized luggage, including the paper horse, before boarding the plane," explained an Emirates representative.

Hãng hàng không nói gì về vụ từ chối vận chuyển ngựa vàng mã? - Ảnh 2. — The horse was left at the airport.

Some airlines may be flexible in allowing passengers to carry oversized hand luggage, however, Emirates believes that: The safety and comfort of all passengers on flights is always the airline's top priority. Therefore, customers' hand luggage is required to comply with the general rules, regulations on the number of pieces or weight of hand luggage according to each class of ticket. These regulations are to ensure safety and other necessary conditions for the flight. Therefore, if the baggage is oversized, the airline recommends that all passengers check it in.

Regarding carry-on baggage containing prohibited items, the airline said its dangerous goods policy is similar to that applied by all airlines worldwide. These regulations are available on the airline's website and passengers should consult before flying.

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