A passenger was restrained on a recent Thai Airways flight, after she intentionally coughed on a flight attendant.
The woman, who is Chinese, was enraged by the plane's delay in wake of the Coronavirus, to the point where she began flailing her arms and coughing on a crew member.
After landing at the Shanghai Pudong Airport from Bangkok this past Friday, the passengers of this flight were held on the plane for hours, in order to be screened for COVID-19. They were forbidden to deplane until seven hours later- but not before this intense encounter.
Video was taken of the event, which shows the woman being put into a headlock while a male flight attendant tells another to "put her down". Soon, three crew members were on the scene, and altogether were able to restrain the woman.
A spokesperson from Thai Airways recently spoke to the New York Post about what happened, saying that the woman was "upset about being held for a long time."
Prathana Pattanasiri, head of Thailand's Aviation Safety Department, also released a statement about the incident.
"We could not open the doors of the plane until instructed to and health officials came to proceed with checks. Therefore, Thai Airways had to wait for seven hours before officials arrived at the inspection queue.
The Chinese passenger was upset about being held for a long time and coughed at one of our staff. After she calmed down, we explained the situation to her and she agreed to sit and wait for screening."
Airlines have been undergoing extensive testing in wake of COVID-19, and as a result have led to numerous health screenings amongst airports. Thai Airways was informed of these delays prior to taking off.
The incident has created a buzz on social media amidst the coronavirus panic.
Let's hope everyone involved is safe.
