On August 3, 2026, Chinese media outlet The Beijing News reported that China's low-cost airline (LCC), Lucky Air, apologized for an issue in which expired cup noodles were distributed to passengers on its delayed flights.

According to the article, on the 1st of this month, Lucky Air flight 9664, departing from Urumqi Tianshan International Airport in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and bound for Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Sichuan Province, experienced a departure delay of approximately 4 hours due to inclement weather, making it a flight from late night to early morning. It was reported that among the cup noodles provided to the waiting passengers at that time, some had expired around July 3.

On social media, videos were posted and widely shared, showing angry passengers at the scene throwing down cup noodles and protesting to staff, drawing significant attention.

On the 3rd, the company deeply apologized for causing discomfort to passengers in this matter and announced that it had launched a specialized investigation team. At the same time, it asserted that 'the expired items were few in number, were identified and immediately recalled at the scene, so no passenger actually ate them.'

On the other hand, it is reported that a series of posts from passengers on social media claim that 'multiple people actually received expired products,' indicating a discrepancy between the company's explanation and the situation on site.

In response to this report, Chinese netizens voiced a series of criticisms, such as 'the management of food safety is too sloppy' and 'I have nothing but distrust for the service quality of LCCs.' Additionally, voices of suspicion were heard, asking, 'Did the procurement officer intentionally buy up substandard stock at a discount to obtain illicit profits (kickbacks)?'

Meanwhile, some comments showing leniency were also seen, such as 'since it's dried noodles, a slight expiration doesn't bother me.' (Edited/Translated by Kawajiri)