SINGAPORE – A man on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight was removed from the plane after he allegedly verbally abused the cabin crew.

The Hong Kong-Singapore flight SQ897 on Sept 10 was also delayed in its take-off by about three hours, according to flight data.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, an SIA spokesperson said a passenger was behaving in an unruly manner before the flight took off.

“After repeatedly verbally abusing the cabin crew on board, our pilots assessed the situation and decided to offload the passenger to ensure the safety of the other passengers and the operating crew.”

The passenger was handed over to the local authorities at Hong Kong International Airport, the spokesperson added.

Hong Kong news outlet HK01 reported that the man allegedly asked the cabin crew for alcoholic beverages before take-off, but was rejected.

The local police said the incident involved a 71-year-old Singaporean man but no one was arrested, according to HK01.

According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the flight SQ897 was slated to depart Hong Kong International Airport at 8.25pm local time on Sept 10. However, it was delayed by more than three hours and departed only at 11.38pm.

The flight arrived in Singapore’s Changi Airport at 2.48am on Sept 11, more than two hours behind its scheduled arrival time of 12.35am, according to Changi Airport’s website.

The SIA spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and staff is always our top priority. SIA believes that all our employees have a right to a safe and respectful workplace environment, and does not stand for abusive behaviour towards our staff.”

The spokesperson also apologised to all passengers on board the flight for the inconvenience caused by the incident.