The photo was taken in January on an Air Guilin flight from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, state media said, but was widely shared this week - causing the airline to take action.
It shows a woman posing in the cockpit with refreshments laid out next to her.
Air Guilin said in a statement the pilot had violated air safety regulations.
The woman is rumoured to be a flight attendant in training at a Guilin university, according to news site Chinese News Service.
Air Guilin did not specify if the photo was taken mid-flight, but Chinese pilots and analysts said the photo appears to have been taken during the flight.
The pilot, who was not named, has been banned from flying for life, though it is unclear if he was fired from all roles by the airline.
Air Guilin said in a statement that he had "violated [regulations] by allowing irrelevant personnel into the cockpit".
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, passengers are not allowed to enter the cockpit without special approval or under "necessary" circumstances.
Other staff members involved in the incident have also been "suspended indefinitely" while further investigations are held.
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