Man Removed From Plane After Refusing To Wear Mask
A man was removed from a domestic flight in Japan after refusing to wear a mask on the plane.
Carrier Hokkaido Air System says the crew spotted the man without a mask before takeoff on the flight from Okushiri Airport to Hakodate Airport in Hokkaido, northern Japan, at around noon on Saturday.
Airline officials say the crew asked him to wear a mask, but he refused. He gave no explanation for his refusal.
The captain decided to have the man removed from the plane after judging his behavior disruptive to order on the flight. Officials said it was not because the man refused to wear a mask, but due to the possibility he would hinder a safe flight based on his interaction with the cabin crew.
NHK interviewed the man and asked why he didn't wear a mask. He said that he felt sick and had rashes when he previously wore a mask. The man added that he refused to explain because he didn't want to talk about his health condition in front of other passengers.
The officials said the plane departed about half an hour behind schedule with 21 other passengers.
Airlines are asking passengers to wear masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus.
On Monday, another domestic flight made an unscheduled landing in Niigata Airport on the Sea of Japan coast to remove a passenger who refused to wear a mask and threatened the cabin crew. The plane was heading from Kushiro in Hokkaido to Kansai Airport in western Japan.
