Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has banned two passengers from its flights after an argument over seat-reclining etiquette descended into xenophobic insults.

Cathay Pacific has banned a Hong Kong couple from its flights after their row with a mainland Chinese traveller over her reclining seat. The Chinese woman had complained on social media that she was harassed by the couple seated behind her on a Cathay flight after reclining her seat.

Cathay Pacific Airlines banned two passengers after an argument over seat-reclining escalated into xenophobic slurs on a flight from Hong Kong to London. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between mainland China and Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has added a husband-wife duo to its no-fly list after a social media storm over their rude behaviour towards a woman from mainland China over reclining her chair.