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Two HIV-positive passengers are suing an airline after they were barred from boarding one of its planes.

The two men and a friend are demanding £5,000 and an apology from Chinese Spring Airline after they refused entry to a flight from Shenyang to Shijiazhuang.

The two passengers, along with the travelling companion who does not have HIV, were told their tickets had been cancelled after informing staff of their status.

First case of its kind: Three people are suing China's Spring Airlines for discrimation

However, the three people have now issued a claim against the airline, accusing it of discrimination.

A Shenyang court accepted the case, making it the first lawsuit against an airline for discriminating against an HIV-positive person in China, the Global Times said.

'The court's acceptance of this case signalled that HIV carriers can protect their rights through legal channels,' it quoted plaintiff Cheng Shuaishuai as saying.

On its website, Spring Airlines states that it has the right to refuse passage to those with 'infectious diseases'.

According the Fazhi Evening Paper, the three passengers were preparing to board a flight on 28 July when they were stopped by airline officials.

One passenger told the paper: 'After we got our boarding passes, we informed a Spring Airlines official that some of us had HIV.

'The official immediately rang up the Shanghai head office for instructions, and then told us the company has rules forbidding the transportation of passengers with HIV.'

The passenger said their tickets were cancelled and they were forced to take a train to their destination.

China only lifted a long-standing ban on HIV-positive foreigners entering the country in 2010.

Under Chinese law, airlines can refuse to allow anyone with an 'infectious' condition to board their planes.

However, according to the BBC, Liu Wei, the plaintiffs' lawyer, said the airline had no evidence the three passengers' presence would infect anyone else.

China only lifted a long-standing ban on HIV-positive foreigners entering the country in 2010.