Flight Landing Delayed As Bali-Singapore Passenger Refuses To Fasten Seatbelt

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A Scoot Airlines flight from Bali to Singapore had to delay landing in Singapore after a passenger refused to fasten their seatbelt. The flight from Denpasar to Singapore was delayed on Monday, 14th November, as the pilot and crew had a legal responsibility to secure the cabin before coming into land. 

The unlawful behavior led to the Scoot Airlines flight TR285 Capitan officially discontinuing the approach to land after the descent. The incident was confirmed by the Airline on Tuesday. The statement explained, “The flight landed safely on the second approach at Changi Airport without further incident, and the involved passengers were escorted off the aircraft by airport authorities for further investigation.”

Little more information has been revealed about the incident, and Scoot Airlines ended their statement suggesting that the public should ‘refrain from undue speculation’ as their investigation gets underway. The situation caught the attention of the online travel world as a TikTok video of the incident went viral. 

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In the video, the pilot can be heard over the public information system on the plane, telling passengers that the flight staff is “legally not able to land an aircraft if the cabin isn’t secured.” He continues to explain, “We are now turning around again for another approach, and if we have to do another missed approach for the same reason, the airport police will be involved, and they will take the necessary action.”

Once in Singapore, passengers were informed that ‘local authorities’ would board the plane and that passengers would only be allowed to leave the aircraft once ‘clearance was given’. 

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At the end go the viral video shared by @AudiKhalid on TikTok, the passengers who had traveled from Bali all appeared calm and relaxed about the situation. Singapore Airport Police can be seen escorting a woman with a baby in a baby carrier off the plane. Security officials also escorted a man wearing a black t-shirt from the cabin. 

Scoot has apologized for the incident and said that, as an airline, they will always prioritize safety. They said, “The well-being of our customers and staff is our priority, and we do not condone behavior that compromises flight safety.” The airline confirmed that “appropriate actions against any passenger who may risk the safety of our customers and staff.”

The statement from Scoot ended with, “Scoot sincerely apologizes for the disruptions and inconveniences to our customers.” The viral video has now been viewed over 2 million times, received over 140k likes, and over 2500 comments. Some viewers joked that the passengers were vying for priority disembarkment. Others have praised the captain for his support of the cabin crew. 

Thankfully, all passengers and crew could land safely in Singapore after their time in Bali. There have been no reporters of issues with takeoff from Denpasar, and representatives from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International have not given any comments. It is not clear whether the travelers in question were on a layover in Singapore, or whether they were due to catch an onward flight after their trip to Bali.

This is not the first case of passengers disobeying the rules of Bali flights in the last few months. In late October, footage emerged of a family getting kicked off a Qantas flight that was heading to Australia from Bali. Viral video footage showed a male passenger arguing with Qantas cabin crew accusing them of making his wife and children cry.

The altercation eventually resulted in the passenger and his family being asked to leave the flight. Details came to light shortly after, and it was confirmed that the passenger in question was a high-profile rugby player. 

The passenger in question has recently been confirmed as a high-profile athlete and philanthropist, Zakir Slaimankhel. He lives in Sydney though he is originally from Afghanistan. He is best known as the leading try scorer for Afghanistan during the Asia Rugby Sevens competition held in Indonesia earlier in 2022.

In September, a passenger was arrested and taken off a Bali flight waiting to taxi in Melbourne after he tried to light a cigarette on the plane. Melbourne federal police arrested the man, and after a further delay, the Jetstar flight was able to take off for Denpasar.