SIA flight to Shanghai delayed almost 2 hours due to 'verbally & physically abusive' passenger

A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight departing for Shanghai in the wee hours of the morning on Feb. 6 was delayed for close to two hours as a passenger on board verbally and physically abused cabin crew prior to takeoff.

An SIA spokesperson told Mothership the passenger and her companion were offloaded on the Singapore side and handed over to the authorities.

Abusive passenger delayed takeoff

Flight SQ826 was initially scheduled to depart Singapore for Shanghai on Feb. 6 at 1:15am.

However, a passenger onboard verbally and physically abused cabin crew as the flight was preparing for takeoff, the SIA spokesperson said.

A scene from the cabin was depicted in a clip shared to TikTok the same day.

@chloeluna7305In the end, she got off the plane and they have to locate and remove her luggages... before the flight could resume...♬ original sound - 出发了

In the video, a female passenger could be heard raising her voice in Mandarin off-camera, and claiming that she was being "bullied".

Other voices argued with her.

An air stewardess was seen trying to defuse the situation.

Passenger offloaded in Singapore with her companion

"Our pilots assessed the situation and decided to return to the gate to offload the passenger and the passenger's companion to ensure the safety of the other passengers and the operating crew," said the SIA spokesperson.

The two passengers were handed over to the local authorities at Singapore Changi Airport, the spokesperson added.

The airline said they were unable to share more details of the passengers due to customer confidentiality.

The incident caused the flight to be delayed for about one hour and 46 minutes, and it departed Singapore at 3:01am.

We do not tolerate abusive behaviour: SIA

SIA apologised to customers onboard the flight for the inconvenience caused.

"The safety of our customers and staff is always our top priority," said the SIA spokesperson.

"SIA believes that all our employees have a right to a safe and respectful workplace environment. We do not tolerate any form of unruly or abusive behaviour, whether on the ground or in the air."

The spokesperson said that crew members are trained to remain vigilant in the cabin, and are equipped to recognise and address potential cases of behaviour that threaten the safety and security of customers and crew.

The airline will also work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure compliance with all safety regulations.

"Our ground staff may also refuse boarding to customers who may have already displayed errant behaviour on ground, in order to not compromise the safety and comfort of other customers," the spokesperson added.

Top image from N8aviation/Facebook & Google