A disturbance occurred aboard a crowded flight when an enraged passenger reportedly went on an unusual tirade, berating the crew for speaking English and not adhering to basic safety protocols. The incident took place on an AirAsia X flight traveling from Chongqing, China, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 22. Witnesses observed the woman standing up during the cabin announcements.

While flight attendants were giving instructions in English and Malay, she erupted, questioning why the international flight was not conducted in Chinese and declaring her nationality as Chinese. The situation escalated further when she refused to switch her phone to flight mode during taxiing.

When another passenger started recording the incident, the woman allegedly became uncontrollable, claiming to be an off-duty flight attendant from another airline and insisting that she was filming a reality show. Despite crew members’ attempts to calm her down, she refused to cooperate, prompting the pilot to return the plane to the gate with the assistance of security.

The delay lasted nearly two hours before the unruly passenger was removed by airport authorities for disrupting public order on the aircraft. The flight eventually departed at 3:46 am and landed safely in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8:14 am, albeit causing some passengers to miss their connecting flights, leading to delays of up to a day for some. AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail commended the crew for their handling of the situation, emphasizing the importance of safety protocols.

In a separate incident, two passengers were removed from a Jet2 flight bound for Manchester by Belgian authorities following an altercation mid-air on February 12. The disruptive behavior led to the flight being rerouted to Brussels before finally reaching Manchester. Jet2 announced that the unruly passengers would be banned from flying with the airline for life due to their unacceptable conduct.