(Yicai Global) March 15 -- Donghai Airlines has been punished by Chinese regulators after details emerged of a fist fight among crew members during a flight.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China suspended the private airline’s application for new routes and flights as well as extra and chartered flights, and revoked the captain’s license. Other crew members involved in the scuffle have also been punished, the CAAC said at a press conference today.

The captain and the chief flight attendant got into a quarrel during a flight from Nantong to Xi’an on Feb. 20, a person who did not wish to be named said on social media earlier this month.

The chief flight attendant broke his hand and the captain lost half of a front tooth in the ensuing fight, which happened 50 minutes before landing, the person said.

Shenzhen-based Donghai Airlines apologized on Twitter-like Weibo on March 7, saying it pays close attention to safety and that it had immediately started an investigation into the incident and suspended the people involved.

The CAAC sent a safety team to Donghai Airlines to institute rectification proceedings and punished the firm based on related laws and regulations, Wu Shijie, a CAAC security officer, said at the press briefing, adding that the administration has reported the incident to the public security authorities for further investigation.

Formed in 2002, Donghai Airlines is based at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. It operated 23 passenger planes on 93 routes to 54 cities as of 2019, according to the firm’s website.

Editor: Tom Litting