Passenger on SIA flight gets offloaded for repeatedly abusing cabin crew

One passenger on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight in Hong Kong was offloaded and handed to the authorities due to his angry outburst.

According to aviation tracking website Flightradar24, flight SQ897 taxied close to the runway at the Hong Kong International Airport but turned back. The plane was bound for Singapore. 

The flight, which was set to take off at 8.25pm on Tuesday (Sept 10), only departed three hours later at 11.23pm, according to the Hong Kong Airport Authority's website.

It eventually arrived in Singapore at 2.48am on Wednesday, according to the Changi Airport website.

This delay had been caused by a passenger who allegedly lost his temper after his request for alcohol before take-off was denied by cabin crew, reported Hong Kong-based online platform HK01 News.

Upon assessing the situation, the cabin crew contacted the control tower and requested to turn back. They also called the police to assist them in managing the unruly passenger, reported Taiwan-based news channel TVBS.

Responding to HK01 News, the local police said that the passenger in question is a male Singaporean, 71, surnamed Tan. It added that the case had been deemed a "request for police assistance" and no arrest was made.

Passenger repeatedly abused crew: SIA

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a SIA spokesperson said that a passenger on board flight SQ897 was behaving in an unruly manner and repeatedly abused the cabin crew on board before the flight took off.

The pilots assessed the situation and decided to offload the passenger to ensure the safety of the other passengers and the operating crew. He was handed over to the local authorities at Hong Kong International Airport.

The spokesperson assured that SIA's top priority will always be the safety of its customers and staff.

"SIA believes that all our employees have a right to a safe and respectful workplace environment, and does not stand for abusive behaviour towards our staff," said the spokesperson.

SIA also offered its apologies to all customers on board flight SQ897 for the inconvenience caused.

ALSO READ: SIA flight to Singapore delayed 5 hours due to technical issue, U-turn required

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com