SINGAPORE: Videos from a fight that broke out earlier this week between passengers on AirAsia X flight D7326 from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, China, have gone viral not only in the region but around the world.
The Jul 21 (Monday) brawl broke out after the lights were dimmed on the flight, and a male passenger requested a group of women in the seats in front of him to quiet down so he could get some rest.
The three women, however, continued to talk to each other loudly, and the situation escalated to the point that the man allegedly called the women “stupid” and told them to “shut up.”
A video posted by the New York Post on Jul 23 shows one of the women, dressed in a baseball cap and a green outfit, climbing on a seat and hitting someone, allegedly the man, repeatedly.
Several AirAsia flight attendants are seen trying to calm them down, initially without much success.
Loud shouts can be heard all over the cabin, including a man’s voice repeatedly calling out “Stop!” Another woman, dressed in jeans and a black and grey top, can be seen straddling the top of an airline seat. Although she eventually gets down, chaos continues until a male flight attendant steps in and forcefully makes everyone stop fighting.
The video then cuts to another angle, where flight attendants can be seen intervening between the brawling passengers.
Five Chinese passengers were detained at the airport after the incident, with three getting arrested and the other two getting slapped with fines.
The cabin crew “acted swiftly and professionally to manage the situation in line with established safety protocols”.
“The (local) authorities were notified, and they met the aircraft upon landing to ensure appropriate action was taken. The incident did not impact the return flight schedules or disrupt operations,” CNA quoted AirAsia X as saying.
Netizens have roundly condemned the brawlers on the flight and suggested that stiffer penalties are needed in such cases.
“We need harsher punishments. How about starting with a lifetime ban?” one suggested.
“Anyone who resorts to violence in the air should AUTOMATICALLY be on the no-fly list,” a commenter chimed in.
Others were critical of the women, saying that talking loudly on flights also bothers them.
“This also irritates me when flying. People talking loudly,” a YouTube user wrote, while another commented that “There are some people who fly that don’t have common sense or basic respect for others.”
“People do not know how to act in public anymore,” a commenter agreed. /TISG
