Thai AirAsia Flight Returns After Chinese Passenger Throws Hot Water At Cabin Crew

Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia’s flight, ferrying passengers from Bangkok to China, was forced to return to Bangkok after a Chinese passenger threw hot water at a cabin attendant, the airline reportedly said in a statement Saturday. The flight had 174 passengers on board and six crew members, one of whom was attacked, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Thai AirAsia Flight FD9101 had left Bangkok’s northern airport Don Mueang for Nanjing in China at 5:55 p.m. local time (5:55 a.m. EST) on Thursday.

Three other passengers accompanying the woman who mistreated the attendant were asked to disembark the flight, according to The Associated Press (AP). In a video of the incident, which was reportedly posted on the Internet by China National Radio, a man also threatened to bomb the plane. However, the airline did not mention the bomb threat in its statement.

“During the flight a Chinese female passenger was not satisfied with the service and when the cabin attendant came she threw hot water at the cabin attendant,” the statement said, according to SCMP, which added that the woman and her companions were initially angry that they were not seated together.

The flight was still in Thai airspace when the incident occurred, and the pilot decided to turn back the flight to Bangkok. The four passengers were then dislodged and detained by police, which also fined them for their misbehavior, SCMP reported. The Chinese passengers reportedly left Thailand on Friday.

Incidents, in the past, involving unruly Chinese tourists has forced the Chinese government to issue guidelines on how its citizens should behave abroad, AP reported. In February, 27 people from a Chinese tour group were asked to leave a China Eastern Airlines flight before takeoff from Phuket in Thailand, after they started arguing over seating arrangements.