An AirAsia flight reportedly scheduled to depart from Chongqing, China to Kuala Lumpur early this morning was delayed after an alleged in-flight disturbance involving a female passenger, according to viral social media reports.
The incident is said to have taken place around 22 April, when the woman allegedly began behaving disruptively shortly after boarding, including speaking loudly on the phone, which prompted another passenger to intervene.
According to accounts circulating online, the situation escalated after the passenger was asked to communicate in English by nearby travellers and later by cabin crew. The woman reportedly objected, leading to a confrontation onboard.
Cabin crew from Malaysia attempted to calm the situation, but the passenger allegedly became increasingly agitated. A crew member who could speak Mandarin was later called to assist in de-escalating the situation.
During the exchange, the passenger reportedly claimed she worked in the aviation industry for China Southern Airlines and expressed understanding for cabin crew duties, but insisted that international flights should include Chinese-speaking staff.
She was also quoted as saying she was dissatisfied with being addressed in English, repeatedly emphasising her nationality during the confrontation.
Despite efforts by the cabin crew to resolve the matter, the situation reportedly remained unresolved, prompting the pilot to inform ground authorities and request assistance from airport security upon landing.
Airport authorities were later seen boarding the aircraft to handle the situation. Reports suggest the passenger continued to insist she was not at fault and also requested that other passengers delete any recordings of her.
The flight, which was originally scheduled to depart at 2am, was eventually delayed and took off at approximately 3.22am.
The incident has since sparked widespread discussion online, with passengers and social media users sharing differing views on expectations of language use and passenger conduct on international flights.
