A budget flight from Japan to China was dramatically forced to abandon its journey and return to its departure airport after a passenger became embroiled in a prolonged and aggressive argument with cabin crew over a seat swap.
Two-hour mid-air dispute over a girlfriend
The disruptive incident unfolded on Monday evening aboard Spring Airlines flight IJ005, a Boeing 737 service scheduled to fly from Narita International Airport in Japan to Shanghai. According to witness accounts, the trouble began during boarding when a male passenger, described as "clingy," complained about not being seated next to his girlfriend.
He reportedly attempted to swap seats with another traveller, who refused the request. Despite repeated explanations from the crew that he must remain in his assigned seat for the three-hour flight, the passenger allegedly continued his aggressive behaviour after the 7pm departure.
Pilot's decision leads to a costly U-turn
The argument between the frustrated man and the flight attendants is said to have escalated and continued for almost two hours after take-off. With the situation unresolved and the safety of the flight potentially compromised, the pilot made the decision to notify Japanese authorities and turn the aircraft around.
The plane performed an emergency U-turn, consuming another two hours of flying time to return to Narita. Footage from inside the cabin showed air hostesses moving through the aircraft, attempting to manage the unfolding situation before police could meet the flight.
Passengers stranded with paltry compensation
The flight eventually landed back at Narita airport at around 11pm local time, completing a futile four-hour round trip. Police immediately boarded and removed the hot-headed passenger. The remaining travellers were then ordered to disembark, left stranded overnight.
One irritated holidaymaker on board told reporters: "We only heard an announcement stating that the flight was turning back due to a person obstructing the crew. At that point, we were only around 30 minutes away from landing in Shanghai. It was very frustrating."
Due to operational restrictions, the aircraft could not simply offload the suspect and continue. Passengers had to wait for a rescheduled flight the following day at 10 am. Many were forced to sleep on airport benches and chairs, as the airline, Spring Airlines, offered compensation of just £49 and did not provide hotel accommodation.
The Shanghai-based low-cost carrier, which operates across Asia, has yet to make a detailed public statement on the costly disruption caused by the single passenger's behaviour.
