Scoot passenger whose use of ‘bomb’ word on flight sparked security scramble fined S$4,500

SINGAPORE — A 41-year-old Scoot passenger who told an air stewardess that he had a bomb in his oversized carry-on luggage, and delayed the flight for close to five hours was fined S$4,500 — close to the maximum prescribed sentence for causing alarm — on Tuesday (Oct 2).

Hsu Chun Meng, a Singaporean assistant manager, claimed he had made a casual remark on the Singapore-Hat Yai flight on April 5 as he was unhappy that he was told to check in his luggage, which could not fit into the overhead compartment above his seat.

But his use of the word "bomb" sparked off an elaborate security protocol that saw the Scoot pilot report "Mayday" to the Malaysia Control while in mid-air and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter jets scrambling to escort the plane back to Changi Airport.

Because of his actions, the entire cabin crew of pilots and flight attendants also had to be replaced by a fresh crew as per aviation regulations, and Scoot had to disburse vouchers to the affected passengers for the delay.

In total, Scoot suffered a loss of S$13,757.60.

Hsu was subsequently charged with using threatening words that were likely to cause alarm under the Protection from Harassment Act, which carries a maximum penalty of S$5,000.

The court heard that at about 1pm on the day of the incident, Scoot air stewardess Boo Joe We, 23, noticed that an overhead compartment could not be closed because of Hsu's oversized luggage.

She told him that he would need to check in his luggage, but Hsu continued to try and squeeze it into the compartment.

When Hsu finally complied, Ms Boo asked if the luggage contained any items that he needed, such as his passport, medicine or wallet, or any prohibited items such as lithium batteries and other dangerous items.

Hsu replied: "Nothing, only bomb."

Court documents stated that Hsu did so because he "was not happy with (Ms Boo's) attitude and the way she spoke to (him)".

Ms Boo was alarmed by Hsu's remark but did not react immediately, only staring at Hsu, who then disclaimed: "No bomb lah. Joking. How can it be."

Ms Boo then accepted his explanation and went about carrying out other duties in preparation for take-off.

It was only until about 1.53pm, when the plane was at the runway and about to take off, that Ms Boo told the cabin crew-in-charge, Ms Ginny Chiong Wen Chin, 26, that a passenger had joked to her that there was a bomb in his luggage.

Ms Chiong told Ms Boo that such an incident cannot be treated as a joke, and wanted to inform the captain of the plane immediately. But she managed to do so only after take-off.

The pilot, after ascertaining that the passenger had indeed used the word "bomb", then followed the established protocol and reported "Mayday" to the Malaysia Control.

He also informed the Singapore Control that he was heading back to Singapore as the protocol was to land at the nearest airport.

The plane returned to Singapore airspace at about 2.20 pm, with RSAF fighter jets escorting it, and landed at a remote bay away from the main terminal of Changi Airport at 3.23 pm.

All 179 people on the plane remained on board until the police arrived.

The passengers later disembarked for security checks, while SATS auxiliary police officers conducted a security sweep of the aircraft.

The luggage bags of Hsu and his two friends had to be located and separately removed for specific security checks.

During sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Khoo urged the court to impose a fine of at least S$4,000 on Hsu, stating that there is a strong need to deter such behaviour and send a signal to other like-minded individuals that it would be dealt with firmly by the courts.

Mr Khoo added that the burden cannot be on frontline staff, such as an air stewardess, to make a judgement call whether Hsu was serious with his bomb claim or not.

She should not have to guess whether or not the offender was joking, with almost 200 lives on the plane, he added.

District Judge Adam Nakhoda said that he agreed that Hsu's behaviour cannot be tolerated.