Two American women were removed from a British Airways flight at London’s Heathrow Airport after a dispute over a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat led to a physical altercation.

The altercation, which occurred in Terminal 5 before boarding and continued onboard, delayed the flight to Austin, Texas, by two hours. According to witnesses, tensions flared as one passenger demanded that the other remove her hat, which displayed the campaign slogan of former U.S. President Donald Trump. When the request was refused, the exchange reportedly escalated to punches, causing a disturbance among passengers and crew.

Onboard escalation in flight

Once on board in the premium economy cabin, the confrontation continued, prompting the flight captain to call for police assistance. Both women were escorted off the aircraft by Metropolitan Police officers while the dispute continued in the terminal. An airport source told The Sun the situation was unprecedented. “With the U.S. presidential election so close, tensions are sky-high,” the source said. “Airline crew could not run the risk of a full-scale punch-up at 30,000 feet.”

Police investigation ongoing

Following the incident, neither woman was arrested, but both lodged accusations of affray against each other. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that the incident, which was reported at 12:45 p.m. on October 28, is under investigation. “Enquiries are ongoing,” the spokesperson said. Flight BA191, originally set to depart at 12:10 p.m., ultimately took off at 2:11 p.m., proceeding without the two passengers involved.