A German passenger was deplaned by Vietnam Airlines Sunday (December 19) for using his mobile phone and laptop on a flight that was about to take off from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai.

This was the first time the airline has deplaned a passenger for this reason, the Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported on Monday, quoting Vietnam Airlines spokesman Le Hoang Dung.

A stewardess found the German passenger Heuneg Manfred using his mobile phone and laptop as the plane was accelerating on the runway. When he ignored the stewardess’ warning, the pilot decided to taxi back.

The flight took off after a 30-minute delay.

The airport authority said they had not found any evidence of threat to flight safety, and would not seek police investigation into the case. However, they are considering a fine against the passenger.

A decree taking effect in July 20 increases fines against several violations of flight safety regulations such as smoking, using radio devices in banned areas and joking about explosive materials at airports or onboard aircraft.