China's Joy Air flight JR1516 bound for Hefei returned to Nanchang on Friday after a failure found in the cabin lighting system, the airline said.

On Friday morning, a rumor "flight JR1516 has encountered a fire in mid-flight" was spreading quickly through Weibo. However, Joy Air investigated the event and confirmed the rumor is not true. The airline's investigation found there was a failure in the cabin lighting system, causing the indicator light flashing, accompanied with a slight smell of burning, but no fire or smoke has been seen in the cabin. The flight returned to Nanchang for safety reason.

After the incident, the Xi'an-based airline arranged alternative transportation for passengers in time, providing refund and lunch for them. Joy Air apologized for passengers whose trip was affected by the incident.