A three-hour journey turned into a four-hour ordeal to nowhere when a Spring Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency return to Narita International Airport — all because one man allegedly refused to accept his assigned seat.
The drama unfolded aboard Flight IJ005 on Monday evening, shortly after the aircraft took off at 7:00 p.m. en route to Shanghai. According to eyewitnesses and local media reports, the disruption began before the plane even left the ground.
The passenger, reportedly traveling with his girlfriend, became agitated when he was unable to convince another traveler to switch seats with him. When the seat swap was denied, things quickly escalated.
Flight attendants attempted to defuse the situation during boarding and again after takeoff, but the man allegedly continued to argue aggressively for nearly two hours mid-air, refusing to comply with the crew’s instructions. Despite repeated efforts to calm him, his behavior reportedly remained confrontational — enough so that the flight crew ultimately consulted with the pilot.
The decision was made to turn the Boeing 737 around, adding two hours of flight time and turning what was meant to be a quick international hop into a fruitless round trip. Footage captured from inside the cabin shows crew members attempting to manage the tension, moving briskly through the aisle, while other passengers looked on in confusion and frustration.
Upon arrival back at Narita around 11:00 p.m., local police boarded the plane and removed the man from the aircraft. But for the passengers, the trouble was far from over. Because of tight air traffic restrictions and slot limitations, the plane could not simply refuel and continue on its journey. Instead, all travelers were disembarked and left to await a new flight scheduled for 10:00 a.m. the next day.
The airline reportedly offered just £49 in compensation — and no accommodation — to the stranded passengers. Many had no choice but to sleep on benches and airport lounge chairs overnight, turning a routine travel experience into a grueling test of patience.
“It was very frustrating,” one passenger told local media. “There was no prior announcement or real explanation. Just an abrupt notice that we were turning back because of one person. We were only 30 minutes away from landing in Shanghai.”
Spring Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Shanghai, is known for its no-frills service across Asia. But this incident has sparked criticism of both passenger behavior and the carrier’s handling of disruptions. While safety and order are paramount aboard any flight, the decision to return with only 30 minutes remaining in the journey — and the lack of passenger support on the ground — has raised questions about crisis management protocols on budget carriers.
