Passengers removed from Austin-bound flight after altercation over 'MAGA' hat, report says
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two passengers were removed from an Austin-bound British Airways flight Monday after an altercation over a "Make America Great Again" hat, according to a report by The Sun.
British Airways flight BA 191 from London Heathrow to Austin was delayed after the incident. Police were called to the airport shortly after 12:45 p.m. local time.
In a statement provided to KXAN, a spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police said they were "made aware of an incident involving two women waiting to board a plane in Terminal 5."
"A woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s made counter allegations of affray," the statement said. No further details were provided.
Affray is when someone uses or threatens "unlawful violence" toward another person, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, which prosecutes cases in England and Wales.
According to The Sun, witnesses said one of the women asked the other to remove her hat, and they allegedly punched each other. The argument then continued on the plane, according to The Sun's report, before the two passengers were escorted off.
"We apologised to our customers for the delay and got them on the way as quickly as possible," a spokesperson for British Airways told KXAN.
The Met Police said inquiries into the incident are ongoing.