These photographs taken by shocked travellers aboard a Thai AirAsia flight reveal the dramatic moment a female flight attendant was scalded with hot water by an unruly passenger.

The female passenger, from China, attacked the flight attendant with a cup of noodles in a violent row that began when she found out that she wouldn't be sitting next to her boyfriend on a charter flight from Bangkok to Nanjing, China.

Passengers pulled out their smartphones as the mid-air drama unfolded in front of them, snapping pictures as the injured flight attendant covered her face and shouted in pain.

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Photos posted on the Weibo social-networking website show a flight attendant covering her face

The flight attendant received first air from her co-workers while the plane returned to Bangkok

Noodles are pictured on the floor of the aircraft after they were thrown at the female flight attendant

Additional photos show noodles all over the floor of one of the aisles and, once the plane landed, authorities boarding the aircraft to restore order and remove the passenger and her entourage.

The cabin erupted in chaos after the flight attendant was berated and splashed with hot water - even after a cabin crew member helped the couple change seats.

During the chaos a man believed to be the woman's boyfriend jumped out of his seat and angrily threatened to blow up the plane as the injured flight attendant was tended to by her co-workers.

But the man accused of making the threat later said the attendant was scalded by accident during a tussle over a receipt they had requested for the hot water.

A passenger captured a video of an angry man after a flight attendant was scalded with hot noodles

Passengers suffered a five-hour delay after the pilot decided to turn around and fly back to Bangkok

Authorities boarded (right) and ordered the unruly passengers to leave as others snapped photos

As a result the pilot decided to abort the 90-minute journey to eastern China and return to the airport in Bangkok, where the plane made an emergency landing.

One of the photos that emerged on the Weibo social-networking website shows a man carrying a girl through the cabin while being escorted by authorities.

At the airport, airline staff spoke to the woman and her entourage and they all came to an 'amicable' agreement, although the group was forced to return home on a different flight. The U-turn led to a five-hour delay for other travellers.

The air rage incident has gained worldwide attention and led to the Chinese travellers being called 'barbarians' by China's state-run media.

A man carries a girl through the aircraft cabin after authorities boarded the plane in Bangkok

Thai AirAsia flight attendants plead for calm after one of their colleagues was assaulted

But that will be the least of their concerns as Chinese authorities vowed to severely punish the group for giving Chinese tourists a black eye.

In a scathing statement, China’s National Tourism Administration said the tourists disrupted the flight, hurt other passengers and ‘badly damaged the overall image of the Chinese people.’

The Jiangsu Provincial Tourism Bureau told the South China Morning Post that they had asked the provincial tourism association to blacklist the rowdy group.

It is not known what penalties those on the blacklist will be subjected to, but the tour guide who led the group has had their licence suspended for a year.

The passengers were reportedly ordered to pay 50,000 Thai baht (approximately £970) in compensation to the injured flight attendant. The woman who threw the cup of hot water and noodles was fined an additional 200 Thai baht (approximately £3.80).

The cabin erupted in chaos after the flight attendant was berated and splashed with hot water

Thai AirAsia says the passenger berated the female flight attendant before scalding her with hot water

Friday's incident comes at a time when the Chinese are travelling more but also becoming notorious for rough behaviour. More than 100 million people from China have travelled overseas this year, more than any other country.

Incidents involving Chinese tourists making angry outbursts have prompted Beijing to issue stern guidelines on behaving abroad.

In February, according to Thai and Chinese news reports, 27 members of a Chinese tour group were ejected from a China Eastern Airlines flight before take-off from the Thai resort island of Phuket after brawling over seating arrangements.