Plane brawl breaks out after man wanting to sleep tells women having a chat to ‘shut up’

A brawl between a man wanting to sleep and a group of women having a chat briefly disrupted a four-hour AirAsia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chengdu, China, on July 21.

Posts on social media said the man was vexed by the noise he accused the women – seated on two rows behind him – of making.

AirAsia X Flight D7326 had just taken off from Kuala Lumpur at around 10pm.

The man reportedly told the women to keep their voices down, as the cabin lights had already been dimmed, and he wanted to get some sleep. When they refused, a heated argument broke out between them.

The man was heard telling the women they were “stupid”, and demanding that they “shut up”.

Flight attendants were seen intervening, as the exchange escalated into a scuffle.

Videos posted online show one of the women climbing over her seat, leaning towards the man, pulling at what looks like a lanyard he is wearing, and then swinging at him with her fist.

Another woman rises from her seat, sneaks past a flight attendant, and also starts pounding on the man. An attendant wraps her arms around the woman’s waist and tries to pull her away.

The man tugs at the head of one of the women punching him, and tries to parry the blows coming his way.

At least two men who appear to be with the women can be seen joining in the fray.

One passenger was quoted by the New York Post as saying the women were “chatting too loudly”, but that the man’s tone had also been “quite aggressive”.

The airline confirmed that an “altercation” happened on one of its flights on July 21.

“The cabin crew acted swiftly and professionally to manage the situation in line with established safety protocols,” it said in a statement to The Straits Times.

It added that “the authorities were notified, and they met the aircraft upon landing to ensure appropriate action was taken”.

The South China Morning Post reported that police in Chengdu arrested five passengers, and that two of them were fined.

AirAsia X said it “maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that may affect the comfort, safety, or experience of others on board”, and reminded passengers “to be respectful throughout their journey”.

The incident sparked some jibes online, while others were more reflective.

“People are losing civic sense and becoming monsters,” said one.

Another suggested that “harsher punishments”, like a lifetime ban, be dealt out for unruly flight behaviour.