Airline Cathay Pacific requests assistance from local authorities to address an unruly passenger under the influence of alcohol.
In an unexpected turn of events, Cathay Pacific Airways recently had to take action against a disruptive passenger on flight CX255, which was scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 11.15pm on Thursday. The flight was delayed for nearly two hours due to the incident.
The passenger in question, a 38-year-old British male, was found to be intoxicated and babbling during the incident. His behaviour, according to reports, caused disturbance to fellow passengers, prompting the captain to make the decision to offload him. The passenger was escorted off the aircraft by airport staff and police.
The Hong Kong ordinance applies to any passenger who behaves in a manner that jeopardises the order on board the aircraft. Under the ordinance, offenders can face fines ranging from HK$10,000 (41,000 baht) to HK$50,000 and up to five years in prison. The ordinance's definition covers a wide range of disruptive behaviours, including obstructing crew, disobeying safety instructions, disorderly conduct, tampering with aircraft components, intoxication to an extent that jeopardises flight safety, smoking, and the unauthorised use of electronic devices.
It's worth noting that the mainland traveller seated behind the offending passenger stated that she was verbally abused and physically assaulted by the couple seated behind her after she reclined her seat. The passenger was sent to North Lantau Hospital after the incident.
Cathay Pacific, in a statement, apologized for the inconvenience caused to affected customers and reiterated their commitment to providing a safe and comfortable journey for all passengers. The airline also stressed that under their general conditions of carriage, passengers can be restrained, offloaded, or banned from flights for behaving in a disorderly, unpredictable, unsafe, discriminatory, or aggressive manner.
This is not the first time Cathay Pacific has had to deal with such an incident. In the same month, the airline blacklisted two Cantonese-speaking passengers who harassed a mainland Chinese traveller on a London-bound flight. In September last year, the airline also diverted a US-bound flight to Tokyo in Japan to remove an "unruly passenger" who had touched cabin crew members and verbally abused them under the influence of alcohol.
In Hong Kong, the Airport Police Division of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is responsible for ensuring safety at the airports and works closely with airlines to handle such incidents. When a passenger, like the one on flight CX255, is intoxicated and disruptive, the airport police can immediately intervene and escort the passenger off the plane to ensure the safety of all involved and to take any necessary legal action.
