SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore Airlines (SIA) said its staff have the right to a safe work environment, after an incident where a passenger “verbally and physically abused” cabin crew on board its plane on Thursday (Feb 6).
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, an SIA spokesperson said the incident with the abusive passenger – whose details, including gender, the national carrier did not reveal, citing customer confidentiality – took place on board Flight SQ826.
The flight was scheduled to depart Singapore for Shanghai at 1.15am, and the plane was taxiing for take-off at the time.
After assessing the situation, the pilots decided to return to the gate to “offload” the passenger and their companion to ensure the safety of others on board, the spokesperson said. The two were handed over to the local authorities at Changi Airport.
Said the 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.”
As a result of the incident, the flight was delayed by 1 hour and 46 minutes, and departed Singapore only at 3.01am.
SIA said the safety of its customers and staff is its top priority, and apologised to customers on board the flight for the inconvenience caused by the incident.
Part of the incident was recorded and shared in a video on TikTok. In that video, a woman can be heard yelling in Mandarin as cabin crew members appear to try and defuse the situation.
“Our crew members are trained to remain vigilant in the aircraft cabin environment,” said the SIA spokesperson.
“They are equipped to recognise and address potential cases of passengers exhibiting behaviour that threatens the safety and security of our customers and crew members.”
SIA added that its staff working on the ground may refuse boarding to customers who display errant behaviour, in order to avoid compromising the safety and comfort of others on the flight. - The Straits Times/ANN
