Six mainland Chinese tourists ‘pushed and shoved’ Hong Kong airport ground staff in delayed flight dispute
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 28 July, 2015, 12:30pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 29 July, 2015, 2:41am
Clifford Lo [email protected]
Photos of the incident were posted on social media. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Six mainland tourists were arrested at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday and later charged over a fight with seven ground crew after their Beijing-bound flight was delayed for more than six hours.
Hong Kong Airlines flight 305 had been scheduled to leave at 8.10pm on Monday but was delayed because of air traffic control in Beijing.
Police said trouble broke out at about 2.30am when a woman made a rush to the departure gate and was stopped by seven staff members. Five other travellers allegedly joined in the scuffle.
Seven Hong Kong Airlines ground staff were injured in the incident. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The employees - aged between 20 and 32 - suffered minor injuries and were all discharged from hospital after treatment.
Police arrested the tourists - three men and three women aged 21 to 42. Last night five of them were charged with common assault, while the sixth was charged with breaching the Airport Authority Bylaw. They are scheduled to appear in Tsuen Wan Court today.
The flight left Hong Kong at 4.45am, according to the Airport Authority's website - a delay of more than 8-1/2 hours.
Hong Kong Airlines said the flight, with 225 passengers on board, was delayed "due to adverse weather and air traffic control in Beijing".
Six mainland tourists were arrested. Photo: SCMP Pictures
"Some passengers were emotionally overwhelmed and clashed with ground crew members," the airline said.
The airline apologised for any inconvenience to passengers.
In March, a 46-year-old man from Shandong province became an internet star after he made a meal using his rice cooker at Hong Kong airport. The man, going home after losing his job in Singapore, dozed off and missed his connection. He had only HK$30 so used his cooker to make rice. A video clip of him making the meal went viral.
In June last year, more than 70 passengers staged an 18-hour sit-in on a Hong Kong Airlines plane after their Shanghai flight was cancelled.
The flight left Hong Kong at 4.45am, a delay of more than 8 ½ hours.
