A man was caught on video slapping at ground staff at the airport in the central city of Changsha of Hunan Province on April 24, 2016. [Photo: weibo.com]

Police in southern China have detained three airline passengers for an outburst of anger over a delayed flight.

The three, two men and a woman, were caught on video slapping, verbally abusing, and throwing food at ground staff at the airport in the central city of Changsha.

The video has circulated widely on the Internet as the latest example of bad behavior by Chinese airline passengers.

The Chinese government has already created a black list for airline passengers found to be acting disruptively or dangerously.

The list is made public, and airlines, hotels and other travel professionals can use such a designation as grounds for refusing service.