A passenger was kicked off a Delta flight after hitting a flight attendant in the face.

Video of the incident shows the unnamed woman squaring up to the female member of cabin crew and appearing to punch her.

“You shouldn’t have touched me. You pushed me,” the woman is heard saying repeatedly, while wearing her mask underneath her chin, rather than over her nose and mouth.

The incident occurred on a flight from Miami to Atlanta on 20 October, and was allegedly sparked after the passenger refused to wear her mask correctly.

Two journalists on board the flight posted about the experience on social media.

Reporter Katty Kay tweeted that the plane was forced to return to the gate because one traveller would not put on a face covering.

“Why get on the plane in the first place if you’re going to refuse to follow the safety rules? Would he also refuse to wear a seatbelt? Or start smoking on board?” she said, adding that Delta crew handled the situation “very responsibly” and with “remarkable patience and good humour”.

Miami police boarded the aircraft and removed the woman and those she was travelling with, Ms Kay reported, but the flight was delayed further still because the passengers would not leave the jetway.

“[The captain] says he’s never seen anything like it in 33 years of flying!” said Ms Kay.

BBC journalist Suzanne Kianpour, who was also on the flight, reposted a video of the altercation and said: “A passenger on this Delta flight refuses policy to wear mask. Then won’t get off plane. Then hits flight attendant. Announcement that Miami Dade police on their way.”

Passenger Lauryn England also shared footage of the incident, which shows the woman slapping or hitting the member of cabin crew, before other passengers attempt to get between the pair.

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our people and customers,” a Delta spokesperson told The Independent.

“That’s why two customers who did not comply with crew safety instructions were asked to deplane Flight 1997 on October 19, 2020. We do not tolerate violence of any kind and this situation is currently under investigation. We apologize to customers for the flight delay this caused.”