( CNN ) -- Would you feel comfortable flying in a plane with the exit sign missing from above its door ? Along with dripping water appearing in the cabin shortly after takeoff , a missing exit sign was one of the details that rattled Australian passenger Lisa Kingsberry on a flight from Fiji to Vava ' u in Tonga operated by Real Tonga airlines this week . The flight had originally been delayed two days due a sick pilot and weather conditions . `` I 've never been on such an anxious flight , '' Kingsberry told Radio Australia . `` Everyone was talking about the safety issues . '' The story has made headlines in Australia , with reports suggesting that the poor safety record and reputation of the aircraft used by Real Tonga -- a Chinese-manufactured MA60 aircraft -- is `` crippling '' tourism in Tonga . `` Earlier this year , the New Zealand Government suspended millions of dollars in tourism aid to Tonga and warned travelers of safety concerns over the plane , '' reported Australia Network News . `` New Zealand says the MA60 plane has been involved in a significant number of accidents in the past few years and is not certified to fly in New Zealand , Australia , Europe and the United States . '' No plans to ground plane . But Real Tonga tells CNN it has no plans to suspend operations of its brand new MA60 -- manufactured by China 's AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Company -- which the government of Tonga received as a gift from China earlier this year . Configured to seat 42 passengers , the aircraft -- one of three operated by the airline and the only MA60 in its fleet -- made its maiden flight for the airline on August 10 . `` There are no plans to ground it , '' said Real Tonga commercial manager Tele Faletau . `` We have no grounds on which we need to ground it . '' MA60s have been involved in at least 11 mishaps since 2009 . On June 10 of this year , an MA60 crash-landed at an airport in Indonesia , injuring two passengers ; on the same day , an MA60 skidded off a runway in Myanmar , with no injuries reported . Though he confirmed that the MA60 flap has negatively affected Tonga 's tourism industry and the airline itself , Faletau downplayed the worries . `` There were no reports ( of problems ) through our official maintenance on that flight , '' Faletau told CNN . Faletau explained that the exit sign in question is a detachable , foam piece that fits above the door of the aircraft . `` Maybe some passenger inadvertently knocked it off and it was n't reattached , '' Faletau said . `` Perhaps that 's how the incident happened . '' Faletau said the water in the cabin was likely condensation from the aircraft 's air conditioning system , caused in part by Tonga 's intense humidity . He also defended safety certification processes required by various world aviation governing bodies , the Chinese aviation industry and Real Tonga . Tonga needs plane . Real Tonga began operations in March 2013 . It 's the latest in a string of airlines that have attempted to keep Tonga flying . `` The domestic air infrastructure has been a problem in Tonga for a number of years , '' Faletau said . `` We 're a small nation , with only about 100,000 population . `` It 's difficult to mount a sustainable airline operation for this market . The gift of the MA60 from the People 's Republic of China to our government represents stability for Tonga 's air infrastructure for the future . ''
Australian passenger shaken by `` anxious '' flight on Chinese-made MA60 aircraft in Tonga . Various reports say the MA60 's poor reputation is hurting tourism in Tonga . Real Tonga airline says its aircraft are safe . In June , an MA60 crash-landed in Indonesia , another skidded off runway in Myanmar .