Passenger bites female attendant mid-flight, forcing plane to return to Japan

A US-bound passenger plane was forced to return to Japan after a man bit a female attendant mid-flight on Tuesday (Jan 16). The All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight took off at 9:47 pm local time and was scheduled to land in Seattle 10 hours later. But, as per the data from a flight tracking website, the plane returned to Japan’s Haneda Airport three hours later. The suspect has been identified as a 55-year-old American citizen, but his name was not revealed by the authorities. The man was handed over to local police soon after the plane touched down. The man was arrested on assault charges.

"While flying over the Pacific Ocean, a passenger who was heavily intoxicated bit the arm of a female cabin attendant prompting the plane to return to Tokyo Haneda airport," a spokesperson for All Nippon Airways was quoted as saying by NBC News Thursday (Jan 18).

According to local media, the man told police that he had taken sleeping pills and didn’t remember exactly what transpired on the flight. The plane had 159 passengers onboard when the incident happened and was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

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Third incident involving ANA within a week

It is the second incident involving All Nippon Airways within days. On Saturday (Jan 13), a domestic ANA flight had to return after a crack was discovered in the window of the cockpit. "The crack was not something that affected the flight's control or pressurisation," an ANA spokesperson later clarified.

Watch:US bound plane returns to Japan after 'drunk' man bites crew member

On Sunday (Jan 14), an ANA aircraft came into "contact" with a Delta Air Lines plane at the Chicago airport in the United States, the Japanese airline told AFP. No one was injured in the incident.

Previous instances of passengers causing chaos in cabin

In July 2022, a woman reportedly hit, bit and spit at cabin crew on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Charlotte, prompting the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration to issue a $81,950 fine.

The same month, another woman attempted to hug and kiss another passenger and bit a passenger several times on a Delta Air Lines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta, the FAA said. The woman was fined $77,272. The two incidents saw the largest-ever fines issued by the FAA in the US.

(With inputs from agencies)