A Thanh Hoa Province court awarded Le Van Nhi, Le Trung Dung and Pham Huu An, all locals, 36 months, 34 months and 22 months at a trial on Thursday.

They were captured on video by an eyewitness slapping and kicking a woman at Tho Xuan Airport in the central coastal province last November. The event sparked a public outcry after the video went viral.

The victim was Le Thi Giang, an employee of budget carrier Vietjet Air.

An, 28, Nhi, 41, and Dung, 34, went to the airport to see off a friend. After their friend had checked in, the trio asked Giang to take a photo with them in the departure hall, and she agreed.

They then asked her to pose for another photo, and this time she declined, saying she was on duty. Following her refusal, the men became violent, slapping and kicking her.

An airport manager who witnessed the incident and tried to stop the men was also slapped in the face. Two security staff at the airport were then attacked. One of her colleagues who filmed the incident on her mobile phone was threatened.

A short while afterward the three were subdued by airport security officers and taken to a local police station. The men were reportedly drunk.

The rise of low-cost carriers and the middle class has seen rapid growth in Vietnam’s aviation industry. There were more than 53 million air passengers in the first half of this year, 14 percent up from a year ago.