Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has apologised for its security officers’ “inappropriate conduct” while handling 22 disorderly fans who mobbed two actors there on July 29, including Singaporean actor Ayden Sng.
The airport in Bangkok issued a statement in English on Tuesday (Aug 4) after footage of a security officer making a racially offensive gesture towards the fans went viral on social media.
The incident occurred on July 29 at around 11pm (12am SGT), wrote the airport in its statement outlining the events of the incident.
A group of fans who were scheduled to board Thai Airways flight TG674 to Beijing that night had swarmed around two actors, wrote the statement.
The artistes were later identified as Sng and Chinese national Lv Sitong, both stars of the popular web drama Double Helix. They were in Bangkok for a July 26 fan meet.
The airport explained that the fans followed the artistes into the passenger lounge even though entry to the facility was prohibited for them.
As such, Thai Airways staff contacted airport security personnel to manage the situation and escort the fans out of the lounge.
However, the disruptive fans continued to pursue the artistes into the departure hold room, wrote the airport.
They also refused to cooperate with boarding pass checks at the immigration checkpoint, attempting to rush after the artistes in order to board the aircraft together.
Airline staff closed aircraft door
The fans continued chasing after the actors all the way to the passenger boarding bridge until the pair boarded the aircraft, said the statement.
“To prevent passengers who had not completed the required boarding pass verification from entering the aircraft, airline personnel temporarily closed the aircraft door,” said the airport.
Airport security officers and Thai Airways airline staff then escorted the group of fans back to the departure hold room.
“As a result of the incident, Thai Airways denied boarding to all 22 members of the fan group for failing to comply with airport security procedures and airline regulations,” the airport said.
The statement conveyed that the airline prevented the group from travelling, citing concerns over further disruption on board that could potentially jeopardise the safety and orderly operation of the flight.
The flight was delayed as a result.
After being denied boarding, 12 passengers agreed to have their checked baggage offloaded from the aircraft, while the remaining 10 refused, wrote the airport.
The 10 passengers “expressed dissatisfaction” with the airline’s decision and “behaved provocatively” towards security officers during the operation, resulting in a physical altercation that was later circulated on social media, it wrote in its statement.
‘Inappropriate conduct’
Suvarnabhumi Airport said in its statement that its director of the airport security department Group Captain Chanannut Rodkul, has ordered disciplinary action against the personnel who performed the racist gesture.
The airport acknowledged that even though the security officers’ intervention was “intended to ensure the safety and security of passengers and flight operations”, the security personnel had “displayed inappropriate conduct during the operation”.
“Such conduct does not meet the airport’s service standards or operational regulations,” it wrote.
The airport added in its statement that Rodkul has also instructed all security personnel to “strictly adhere to operational standards, exercise professionalism and emotional restraint, and treat all airport users appropriately under all circumstances”.
“Suvarnabhumi Airport will review this incident and strengthen its incident management procedures and operational oversight to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” it wrote, reaffirming the airport’s commitment to maintaining professional and appropriate security standards in accordance with international best practices.
Sng, 33, was formerly with Mediacorp’s talent agency, The Celebrity Agency, and left earlier in 2026 after seven years. Sng and Sitong, 27, were also reportedly mobbed by fans at a Shanghai airport on June 1, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com
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