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Authorities said all Japan Airlines flights from Tokyo to Houston were decoupled to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as passengers reportedly tried to fly through the plane’s exit doors.
According to Flightaware, the flight from Haneda Tokyo Airport to Houston Intercontinental Airport took about nine hours to a 12-hour journey. The flight safely landed at 4:19am local time, with Seattle police and the FBI Port of Seattle.
Seattle Port spokesman Chris Giazlo said:
In a statement to USA Today, all Nippon Airways confirmed the incident, saying that Ana Flight 114 was “repurposed during flight to Seattle due to unruly passengers.”
FBI Seattle spokesperson Amy Alexander said fellow passengers and crew members were holding the man while the plane was in the air. Upon arrival, the Seattle Police Port conducted an assessment and determined it was experiencing a medical crisis.
He was then taken to a local hospital by emergency medical services for further treatment, police said.
While the plane was sitting on the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, another passenger was “frustrated” by the repurposed use and punched the toilet door. The second individual was exhausted due to “uncontrollable behavior,” and the flight resumed in Houston and landed about four hours after its expected arrival time.
At this time, neither passenger has been charged, the FBI said.
“The safety of passengers and crews is our number one priority and we praise the efforts of local law enforcement agencies to support,” said All Nippon Airways.
All Japan Airlines, a Japanese airline based in Tokyo, serves several US destinations, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and New York, and features flights to Asia. In 2024, a very drunk passenger on all Nippon Airways flights from Tokyo to Seattle reportedly bit the flight attendant in his arm an hour after takeoff.
The unidentified passenger was detained by the flight crew, Kyoda News reported.
As of May 18th, there were 597 unruly passenger reports to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2025.
