The carrier reported the case to police on Oct. 3 and said it would no longer provide transportation services to the passenger, the South China Morning Post reported.

The incident occurred on the night of Sept. 28 aboard the flight from Hefei to Dalian as the flight attendant accidentally bumped the passenger's elbow with a food cart while he was asleep, Chinese news site The Paper reported.

Although the man was not injured, the flight attendant immediately apologized, and the purser brought him an ice pack.

A China Eastern Airlines aircraft is seen at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, July 22, 2020. Photo by Reuters

The passenger, however, refused to accept the apology. He berated the flight attendant, threatened to kick her and demanded that she accompany him to the hospital after the plane landed, China Daily reported.

The flight attendant, who was relatively inexperienced, became intimidated by his aggressive behavior and knelt two or three times to apologize.

The situation was eventually brought under control after security officers intervened.

After the aircraft landed, medical personnel boarded the plane to examine the passenger. They found no visible wounds or swelling and determined that no further treatment was necessary.

The incident has triggered discussion in China over how airline staff are treated and the pressure they face from passenger complaints.

Chinese civil aviation regulations prohibit passengers from verbally abusing or assaulting crew members or causing disturbances on board aircraft.

The case has also drawn attention to performance evaluation systems in which flight attendants can receive positive or negative points based on passenger feedback.

Beijing Daily quoted a veteran flight attendant as saying that a complaint could affect an employee's annual performance assessment.

China Eastern, headquartered in Shanghai, is one of China's three major state-owned airlines.