Flight attendants trying to separate a man and two women having a scuffle at an AirAsia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu on July 21, 2025. - SCREENGRAB FROM ASHWINIROOPESH/X
SINGAPORE: A brawl between a man wanting to sleep and a group of women having a chat briefly disrupted a four-hour AirAsia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, China, on Monday (July 21).
Posts on social media said the man was vexed by the noise he accused the women – seated on two rows behind him – of making.
AirAsia X Flight D7326 had just taken off from Kuala Lumpur at around 10pm.
The man reportedly told the women to keep their voices down, as the cabin lights had already been dimmed, and he wanted to get some sleep. When they refused, a heated argument broke out between them.
The man was heard telling the women they were “stupid”, and demanding that they “shut up”.
Flight attendants were seen intervening, as the exchange escalated into a scuffle.
Videos posted online showed one of the women climbing over her seat, leaning towards the man, and pulling at what looked like a lanyard he was wearing, and then swinging at him with her fist.
Another woman rose from her seat, snuck past one flight attendant, and also started pounding the man. An attendant wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist and tried to pull her away.
The man tugged at the head of one of the women punching him, and tried to parry the blows coming his way.
At least two men who appeared to be with the women could be seen joining in the fray.
One passenger was quoted by the New York Post as saying the women were “chatting too loudly”, but that the man’s tone had also been “quite aggressive”.
The airline confirmed that an “altercation” happened on one of its flights on July 21.
“The cabin crew acted swiftly and professionally to manage the situation in line with established safety protocols,” it said in a statement to The Straits Times.
It added that “the authorities were notified, and they met the aircraft upon landing to ensure appropriate action was taken”.
The South China Morning Post reported that police in Chengdu arrested five passengers, and that two of them were fined.
AirAsia X said it “maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any behaviour that may affect the comfort, safety, or experience of others onboard”, and reminded passengers “to be respectful throughout their journey”.
The incident sparked some jibes online, while others were more reflective.
“People are losing civic sense and becoming monsters,” said one.
Another suggested that “harsher punishments”, like a lifetime ban be dealt for unruly flight behaviour. - The Straits Times/ANN
