An Indian man has been sentenced to six months in prison for molesting a crew member on a Singapore Airlines flight.

Akash Tiwari, 35, pleaded guilty to a count each of molestation and harassment in connection with the 9 February incident, which took place on a flight from Thailand.

Tiwari and his four friends would frantically laugh whenever a female attendant went past them on the flight, the Singaporean court that sentenced him heard.

They were approached by an attendant before the flight took off from Bangkok to confirm their meals and Tiwari stretched out his arm to brush against her leg and laughed, the court heard. His friends also started laughing.

The crew member informed the chief stewardess about the incident and she was reassigned to serve passengers in a different aisle.

However, when she was collecting trays from passengers, Tiwari again used his left elbow to touch the woman's back.

She reported the incident to her superior and the two women confronted Tiwari, who maintained that he had done nothing wrong.

One of Tiwari’s friends reportedly burst out laughing and said he would like to have a beer and watch the “show”, while referring to the assault.

Deputy public prosecutor Lynda said the woman was "very upset and told the accused not to touch her".

"Instead of apologising, he smirked,” the prosecutor said. “The victim was even more distressed and repeated to him not to touch her.”

As the aircraft prepared for landing and the crew member returned to the galley, the chief stewardess informed her supervisor and the captain about the incident.

Tiwari followed the crew member into the galley and stood extremely close to her, prompting her to tell him to stay away. When she left, she realised he was following her and again issued a warning.

“Instead of moving away, the accused persisted with the same threatening behaviour by coming even closer and cornering the victim in the galley,” the prosecutor said.

“The victim was even more distressed by now. She shouted at him to stay away and to stop following her.”

The woman, visibly shaken and in tears, sought help from her superior again before Tiwari finally left her alone.

The incident was reported at an aviation and logistics hub at Singapore’s Changi airport upon arrival and a police report was filed.

Earlier in May, a 20-year-old Indian national was handed a three-week jail term for molesting a stewardess on board a Singapore Airlines flight from Perth to Singapore.