A female passenger on an Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai was held by police after she allegedly scratched and spat on members of the cabin crew because she was not served her choice of meal, the airline said yesterday.

Police boarded Flight NZ289 from Auckland to Shanghai to remove the woman after it landed at Pudong International Airport on Thursday morning. The airline did not give more details about the passenger.

China’s civil aviation authorities are cracking down on unruly behaviour following a string of air-rage incidents.