[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A passenger refusing to wear a mask on board caused a commotion that led a passenger plane to turn back over the Atlantic Ocean.
On the 20th (local time), the US daily New York Times (NYT) reported that a passenger plane flying from Miami, USA to London, UK returned to Miami mid-flight due to a 'no mask' passenger issue. The plane was carrying 129 passengers and 14 crew members at the time.
On the night of the 19th, while flying over the Atlantic Ocean 805 km off the coast of North Carolina, a woman in her 40s refused to wear a mask on board, causing the plane to reverse its course. American Airlines issued a statement saying, "The plane turned back due to a customer not complying with the federal government's mask requirements," and apologized to other passengers who experienced inconvenience.
According to the flight tracking site FlightAware, the plane landed back at Miami Airport 1 hour and 48 minutes after departure. The passenger who refused to wear a mask was handed over to the police after disembarking but was not arrested. American Airlines reportedly filed a report about this passenger with aviation authorities.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as of the 18th this year, there have been 151 reported cases of unruly passengers on board, of which 92 were related to mask issues. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAA has implemented a zero-tolerance policy since early last year, imposing fines up to $35,000 (about 42 million KRW) on passengers who refuse to wear masks and cause disturbances.
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