Flight attendants were observed trying to control and silence an angry passenger by using duct tape to cover her mouth while she was causing a disturbance by thrashing and shouting on a Fiji Airways flight heading to the main island of the country.

In exclusive footage shared with news.com.au, the upset and reportedly “intoxicated” passenger, who was thought to be in her 60s, was captured on flight FJ871 traveling from San Francisco to Nadi last Saturday.

The plane touched down in Nadi on Monday, Jan. 20, where local authorities were present to handle the situation, leading to her arrest. The woman faced charges by the Fiji police and is currently in custody awaiting trial. The airline has verified that the incident is now under a “legal investigation” process.

A fellow passenger who filmed the altercation, and requested to remain anonymous, said airline staff were “forced to resort to restraining and taping the mouth” of the woman, whose comments were allegedly “racist and vulgar” in nature.

The passenger behind the camera said the situation unfolded about halfway into the 11-hour flight towards Nadi, after the woman started to “raise her voice” within the cabin.

“It became known to crew and nearby passengers early into the incident that the woman was travelling with her husband, though they were sitting in different areas of the plane,” the witness, who was seated several rows away from the woman, claimed.

“The husband requested to be seated elsewhere when the woman started to raise her voice, and the altercation between the woman and crew started when the crew refused to tell the woman where he had been moved to.”

The witness told news.com.au the woman “caused great distress to all nearby passengers and crew by screaming and yelling abuse” as well as “threatening and throwing objects such as cups at crew members”.

“She had also slapped the hands of a flight attendant,” the witness claimed.

In the footage, crew can be seen trying to tape the woman’s mouth shut when she refused to stop yelling abuse.

“The other passengers were particularly upset by her overtly racist comments towards the Fijian crew members, with many calling out to the woman to be quiet and behave,” the witness recalled.

“Parents with children onboard were clearly upset with the excessive vulgar language and swearing with many seen blocking the ears of their children.”

In the footage, the woman can be seen towards the back of the plane with two cabin crew members desperately attempting to restrain and ultimately cover her mouth with duct tape.

“The crew forcibly moved the woman to the back of the plane but this didn’t stop the (passenger’s) abusive behavior, which continued throughout the remainder of the flight,” the witness said.

“The crew informed the woman that authorities would be waiting for her on arrival in Nadi.” It is believed the woman was booked on a connecting flight to Adelaide.

“When the flight was two hours away from Nadi, the husband came and sat with the woman but this didn’t improve the woman’s behavior. She continued to verbally assault crew members and disturb passengers.”

In a statement sent to news.com.au, Fiji Airways said the incident was being investigated by local authorities.

“At Fiji Airways, the safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority, and we uphold a zero-tolerance policy for any threatening behavior,” the spokesperson said.

“We are co-operating with the relevant authorities, who are investigating an incident involving a passenger aboard flight FJ817 from San Francisco, which landed at Nadi International Airport on Jan. 20 2025, where it was met by law enforcement.”

It is understood that the incident is now part of an ongoing legal investigation.

A spokesperson from the Fiji Police Department confirmed the altercation, and that the woman was “intoxicated” and would be facing Nadi Magistrates Court on Friday local time.

“She was intoxicated and causing nuisance to passengers,” Fiji police spokesperson, Sergeant Wame Bautolu told news.com.au.

“She has been charged on a count of Unruly passengers under the Fiji Civil Aviation Act and will be produced at the Nadi Magistrate Court tomorrow.

“She is under the custody of Immigration Officials.”

Under Fiji’s Civil Aviation Authority, airlines have the power to make a passenger leave an aircraft if their behaviour is deemed as “disruptive” with cabin crew given the “right to take measures they think reasonable to prevent the passenger from continuing that behaviour”. When the aircraft lands, their actions may include:

• Making the passenger leave the aircraft, possibly under police escort.
• Refusing to carry the passenger on the remaining sectors of the journey shown on their ticket.
• Reporting the incident on board the aircraft to the relevant authorities with a view to prosecuting them for any criminal offences that may have been committed.

Serious offenses could result in a large fine or imprisonment.