Mile-high crime club: theft syndicates target Asia’s airlines

As a near-weekly flier, Qyira Yusri is attuned to the rising menace of in-flight theft, mainly by Chinese gangs targeting flights across Asia to pilfer cash, credit cards and luxury handbags stored in overhead compartments. She checks everything twice before boarding, puts aside her passport and phone and only places carry-on luggage overhead in her eye line. For the 30-year-old, whose next flight to Bangkok from Malaysia will be her 55th in a work-packed year, a healthy dose of paranoia prevents her from falling victim to crime at 30,000 feet. “I’m trying to avoid being pickpocketed but also ensuring I’m not being careless at the same time,” the Kuala Lumpur-based consultant told This Week in Asia. Aviation experts warn that Asia’s busy routes are increasingly the target of sophisticated theft syndicates, who operate in groups and seek high-value items often carried by business travellers. Thieves are hitting flights from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong – but also Vietnam and Japan – as passenger volumes rise and travellers potentially lower their guard to theft once airside. Asia-Pacific airlines carried 365 million international passengers in 2024, up 30.5 per cent year on year, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. In Malaysia and Hong Kong, in-flight thefts soared 70 per cent in 2024, according to data by airport police in those destinations. Airline representatives point to arrests that suggest Chinese crime gangs are the main culprits – a trend on the uptick since the reopening of travel after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as more visa-free destinations in the region seeking to entice Chinese travellers. “The rise in onboard thefts appears to be ‘organised’ and largely run out of China,” Nick Careen, senior vice-president International Air Transport Association, an industry body representing about 300 airlines, told reporters at the association’s annual general meeting in the Indian capital, New Delhi in June, according to dpa news agency. Singapore has been quick to parade its successes in cracking down on such criminals. Four Chinese nationals have been charged with theft on flights landing at Changi Airport this year, in cases given blanket media exposure to deter others targeting the world’s fourth-busiest air hub serving a city state proud of its low-crime reputation. On December 23, 26-year-old Chinese national Liu Ming was sentenced to 20 months’ jail for theft on a business class flight on Singapore Airlines from Dubai to Singapore, committed in August. His business class ticket was believed to have been paid for by a robbery syndicate plying the airways, allowing him to take a passenger’s bag containing more than US$100,000 worth of cash and items including an Audemars Piguet and Chopard luxury watch back to his seat. “A timely report is important for our officers to quickly track and trace suspects and intercept them before they catch their next flight,” Malathi Muthu Veran, Singapore’s airport police commander, told local media. The case reflects a trend of pilfering in the skies across Asia. Malaysia has recorded 146 cases of in-flight thefts in aircraft landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2024 and a total of 267 reported since 2022. Tokyo Narita International Airport, meanwhile, dealt with 19 cases of in-flight theft from January to October 2024. Hong Kong recorded the highest number of in-flight thefts with 169 cases in 2024, with stolen items amounting in value to US$700,000 in the first 10 months of that year. There is no complete data yet available for this year. In one case on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong, a man was arrested for allegedly stealing five credit cards belonging to two passengers on a flight. The 52-year-old man, believed to be a Chinese national, was detained on arrival at Hong Kong’s airport after passengers alerted authorities. Growing problem in the air Experts say unattended bags and packages are hard to monitor and are easy pickings for syndicates, who are experts at profiling victims, snatching what they want and disappearing into airport crowds. Complete monitoring of the constant churn of bags and people is nearly impossible inside an airport, observers add, pointing also to blind spots that crime gangs exploit. “In-flight miscreants are highly vigilant of this situation and have devised strategies to act upon unattended carry-on luggage at a designated time frame during flight,” said Associate Professor Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamen Suffian, an aviation expert at Universiti Kuala Lumpur Business School. The criminals usually operate in a trio, scouring a cabin for high-value unattended items, with one identifying and acquiring valuables while another acts as a lookout to signal when to pounce. While some carriers such as Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have surveillance cameras installed in cabins, many others do not sport the feature due to costs. Cabin cameras are not mandatory and have been opposed by the Federal Aviation Administration and International Air Line Pilots Association over privacy concerns, potential misuse for discipline and pilot-performance pressure. “While many passengers support stronger security, excessive monitoring may cause discomfort or anxiety,” Mohd Harridon told This Week in Asia. There is also no unified system to report thefts across all airlines – a gap allowing criminals to skip between carriers undetected. Without shared intelligence, airlines cannot spot patterns, improve training and take steps to prevent theft, according to Captain Abdul Manan Mansor, chairman of the University College of Aviation Malaysia. “Airlines should take the lead by improving how they report thefts, giving crew better training focused on theft prevention, and investing in better security measures, such as surveillance and safer storage for valuables,” he told This Week in Asia. Data analysis and behavioural modelling can help airlines determine the right balance between security and privacy. “By showing how theft affects passenger trust and airline operations, carriers can help push the industry towards stronger and more consistent security measures,” Abdul Manan said.

Mile-high crime club: theft syndicates target Asia’s airlines

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Experts say rising passenger volumes, including an influx of Chinese travellers amid visa-free schemes, have attracted gangs operating in the skies

Experts say rising passenger volumes, including an influx of Chinese travellers amid visa-free schemes, have attracted gangs operating in the skies