Jail for traveller over drunken ruckus at Changi Airport that triggered anti-hijack button
British national Arudchelvan Karnan drank a whole 700ml bottle of whiskey at his hotel before he went to the airport.
On July 19, British national Arudchelvan Karnan arrived in Singapore from Australia. He consumed an entire 700ml bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey at a hotel in Little India, becoming intoxicated. The following day, Karnan entered Changi Airport Terminal 1 and proceeded to Gate C17 in the departure hall, where he caused a disturbance.
Upon learning of the situation, a Scoot employee approached Karnan and accused her of racism, to which he responded with vulgar language. When a flight to Malaysia was announced, Karnan attempted to board it via the aerobridge despite being barred from doing so. A security officer pressed the anti-hijack button to prevent him from boarding, causing the flight to be delayed by 53 minutes.
Karnan was arrested upon exiting the plane and sentenced on September 2 to eight weeks in jail and a $2,800 fine. He pleaded guilty to harassment, public drunkenness, and unlawfully entering a protected place. The deputy public prosecutor emphasized that Karnan posed a security risk to passengers and staff within a sensitive facility. His defense lawyer requested only a fine, noting there were no injuries or property damage in this incident.
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