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Kung Fu at 30,000 Feet

Hong Kong Airlines, which launched service to Moscow last year, has begun training its cabin crew in a form of kung fu called Wing Chun to deal with drunk and unruly passengers.

The airline said disruptive-passenger incidents occur three times per week on average.

A close-range martial art, Wing Chun is well suited to the confines of an airplane.

Hong Kong Airlines is not the first airline to require its crews to learn a martial art. Another Hong Kong-based airline, Cathay Pacific — which also launched a Moscow route in 2010 — already includes self defense in its regular crew training program.

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