SINGAPORE: Several EVA Air stewardesses had to intervene after a fight broke out between two passengers on flight BR08 from Taipei to San Francisco on Tuesday (May 7).
The Taiwanese airline told local media outlets TVBS and SET News that the incident occurred about three hours into the long-haul flight. According to EVA Air, one of the men decided to switch seats as another passenger seated nearby was coughing.
However, another man objected as that seat was not empty, leading to punches being thrown.
In a minute-long video posted on X, screams to “stop”, “move” and “don’t hold me” can be heard amid the scuffle as other passengers got up from their seats.
Both men eventually calmed down and they were moved to different seats away from each other.
The captain assessed that there was no immediate danger and the flight continued to San Francisco without further incident.
Both men were handed over to US police upon landing and investigations are ongoing, according to EVA Air. The airline later told Taiwanese media that it had a zero-tolerance policy for such incidents and praised the quick intervention by its flight attendants.
It added it will continue to monitor the flight crew’s well-being and look into providing rewards accordingly.
