BANGKOK: Suvarnabhumi Airport has apologised after a group of Chinese fans following a Chinese actor caused a disturbance that disrupted a Thai Airways International flight, resulting in 22 passengers being denied boarding over security concerns.
The incident occurred on July 29 at around 11pm, when a group of fans travelling on Thai Airways flight TG674 from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Beijing followed the artist into a passenger lounge area where they were not authorised to enter.
Airline staff requested security assistance to control the situation and escort the group from the area.
According to the airport’s explanation, the group continued following the artist into the boarding area and did not cooperate with ticket checks before attempting to reach the aircraft at the same time as the artist.
The airline temporarily closed the aircraft door to prevent passengers who had not completed the required checks from entering the plane.
Thai Airways later decided to refuse boarding for 22 members of the group because they had failed to comply with security procedures and airline regulations.
The airline expressed concerns that the situation could continue after departure and affect flight safety, causing delays to the service.
The airport said 12 of the affected passengers agreed to remove their baggage from the flight system, while another 10 refused and became unhappy with the decision, leading to further confrontation with security staff during the response. Footage of the incident was later circulated on social media.
Suvarnabhumi Airport acknowledged that some security personnel displayed inappropriate behaviour while handling the situation and said disciplinary action had been taken against the officers involved.
The airport also ordered a review of its procedures to improve incident management and ensure staff maintain appropriate conduct while enforcing safety measures.
The airport added that security operations must be balanced with proper passenger service standards and reaffirmed its commitment to preventing similar incidents in the future.
According to the report, the artists involved were Chinese actors Sun Zheng and Lu Sitong, with the group described as “sasaeng” style fans who attempted to follow the celebrity closely, take photographs and bypass security barriers at the airport. - The Nation/ANN
