Hong Kong airline apologises for making woman take pregnancy test

Passenger, who was eventually allowed to board, says ordeal was 'very humiliating and frustrating'

A Hong Kong-based airline has apologised after its staff demanded a passenger to take a pregnancy test in order to fly from Hong Kong to an island in the US Pacific.

According to BBC, Midori Nishida was flying on a Hong Kong Express Airways plane in November to the island of Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, when she was asked to take a "fit-to-fly" assessment.

The airline said it was trying to "ensure US immigration laws were not undermined" as the islands have reportedly become a popular place for foreign women to give birth since it makes them eligible for US citizenship.

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The 25-year-old, who was visiting her family who has lived on the island for more than two decades, says she had already completed the questionnaire before the flight to indicate that she was not pregnant but was still escorted by the airways staff to a toilet and given a strip to urinate on.

While the tests came back negative and she was allowed to board, Nishita said the ordeal was "very humiliating and frustrating" for her.

The airline has now apologised "unreservedly" for the incident and has said: "Under our new management, we recognise the significant concerns this practice has caused."

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"We would like to apologise unreservedly to anyone who has been affected by this," Hong Kong Express Airways said in a statement to NBC News.

According to media reports and Northern Mariana Health and Vital Statistics Office, in 2018, tourists gave birth to 582 babies on the islands, while only 492 were born to permanent residents.