S’pore-bound SIA flight returns to San Francisco after unruly passenger injures himself

Passenger on Singapore-bound flight tries to open plane’s exit hatch

A Singapore-bound Singapore Airlines flight was forced to turn back to San Francisco due to an unruly passenger.

According to a Business Times report, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight departed San Francisco on Oct 14 at 11.51am Singapore time.

However, the plane was forced to return to San Francisco mere hours later after a disruptive passenger injured himself while on board.

A SIA representative said: “A Singapore Airlines customer on board flight SQ31…became unruly and injured himself in the process.”

The pilots assessed the situation and decided to return to San Francisco.

Reddit users who claim to be passengers share experiences online

While SIA did not officially release the exact details of the incident, several passengers posted unverified eyewitness accounts on Reddit.

One user reported that three hours into the flight, the passenger started screaming and violently kicking the seats. He tried to reach the emergency exit.

Cabin crew, with help from a few passengers, restrained the unruly passenger. An onboard medical official also jabbed him.

However, he continued resisting even after the others restrained him.

The Redditor described the situation as “the craziest flight experience of (their) life.”

Another user also alleged that the passenger “was trying to pull (the) emergency exit mid-flight.”

The plane landed back at San Francisco International Airport at 8.41pm local time, on Wednesday (14 Oct). The local authorities then took the passenger into custody.

SIA pledges to support affected passengers with alternative travel arrangements

After authorities took the passenger into custody, the delayed flight departed San Francisco at 11.18pm local time on Wednesday (14 Oct), with new crew members on board.

According to FlightAware tracking data, SQ31 had travelled well into the North Pacific before turning back toward San Francisco. The diverted journey took about eight hours and 40 minutes.

The flight was estimated to land in Singapore at 6.45am Singapore Time (SGT).

SIA apologised to the affected passengers onboard the flight and for the disruptions to their travel.

The airline said it was providing assistance where necessary, including rebooking connecting flights.

SIA will also continue working closely with the relevant authorities on the case.

Also read: 2 Chinese nationals charged for allegedly stealing bank cards from overhead compartments on flight

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Featured image adapted from Max Zhang on Pexels. For illustrative purposes only.