Unruly passengers escorted off Scoot flight after refusing to fasten their seatbelts for landing

David Sun
The Straits Times
November 15, 2022

A group of unruly passengers on a Scoot flight who refused to fasten their seatbelts during the plane’s descent delayed its landing in Singapore on Monday.

Flight TR285 from Bali was approaching Changi Airport but the pilot chose to discontinue the landing because of the passengers.

In a video of the incident uploaded on TikTok, the pilot is heard explaining his decision over the PA system.

“We have decided to discontinue the approach into Singapore Changi Airport… because I was informed we still have passengers who are not seated with their seatbelts securely fastened,” he says.

“We are legally not able to land an aircraft if the cabin isn’t secured.” 

The video later shows auxiliary police boarding the plane after it landed to escort several passengers out.

A spokesman for Scoot said the flight was able to land safely on the second approach, and that the unruly passengers involved were escorted off the plane by the airport authorities for further investigation.

“For the safety of passengers during flight, all passengers are required to be seated and to have their seatbelts securely fastened for take-off and landing, or until the seatbelt sign has been turned off,” she said.

“The well-being of our customers and staff is our priority, and we do not condone behaviour that compromises flight safety. Scoot will take appropriate actions against any passenger who may risk the safety of our customers and staff.”

Disembarkation was delayed for about 30 minutes.

The spokesman added that Scoot sincerely apologises for the disruptions and inconvenience to customers.

She also urged members of the public to refrain from “undue speculations” as investigations are still ongoing.

On Monday, Singapore Airlines blacklisted a customer who had been unruly and hit a cabin crew member on its flights last week.

Videos of the man shouting at a cabin crew member had also been uploaded online.