Video: Delay Leads to Brawl Onboard Flight at PEK

Passengers on a plane at Beijing Capital International Airport started to take their frustrations out on the crew and each other after a flight delay of more than four hours.

Video captured the physical altercation onboard a Hainan Airlines flight that had still not taken off more than four hours after passengers boarded the plane. Frustrations boiled over on the delayed flight which was stuck on the tarmac at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK).

The cell phone video taken by a passenger on the flight follows flyers as they turn on each other and crew members with the tense exchanges eventually turning violent. The images show a female flyer hit a member of the cabin crew on the head several times with her carry-on bag. As the scene devolves, police arrive to lead agitated passengers from the plane. Five passengers were reportedly taken into custody following the preflight brawl.

The Independent reports that air traffic in China has been rife with delays for several months as commercial flights have taken a backseat to increasing military traffic. The overcrowded airspace has led to lengthy delays and frayed nerves at airports in China. Free-for-alls like the scene aboard the recent Hainan Airlines flight are, however, a relatively new development.

Earlier this year, China’s Air Transport Association introduced an “Uncivilized Passengers List” in the hope of curbing a growing number of air rage incidents on Chinese airlines. Passengers can face air travel bans of up to two years as a result of being placed on the list which is shared and updated by all of China’s largest air carriers.

[Screenshot, video: The Independent]