A passenger identified as Arumugam from Ramanathapuram was deboarded from a Chennai-Kuala Lumpur flight for refusing to stop smoking despite multiple warnings from the crew.
The incident occurred while the flight was taxiing towards the runway, prompting intervention from both the crew and fellow passengers. Due to his non-compliance, the aircraft returned to the bay where security staff deboarded Arumugam and handed him over to the police. His journey was cancelled, and the flight resumed its course with the remaining 173 passengers.