Singapore (Commonwealth Union)_ A Singapore-bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Darwin after an allegedly drunk passenger threatened crew.
A Qantas flight from Sydney to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Darwin after a passenger began consuming his own bottle of wine and making threats towards the crew. The incident took place on Sunday morning, causing distress among the other passengers.
On Sunday, the Qantas plane diverted to Darwin around 4 pm where the male passenger was escorted by four cabin crew from the plane.
Although Qantas said they were dealing with a ‘medical emergency’, one passenger claimed the man removed from the plane had been ‘disruptive’, downing his own booze, while threatening crew and repeatedly saying the word ‘explosive’.
The disruptive passenger, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly started downing his own bottle of wine and became aggressive towards the cabin crew taunting them to arrest him. Witnesses on the flight claimed that he started making threats. An onlooker told NT News that the passenger said ‘I’m going to Singapore, don’t you dare divert’,’
The passenger was drinking from his own 750ml wine bottle since he claimed he needed to because he was an alcoholic, and then threatened cabin crew. He was clearly agitated, belligerent and while appearing to be heavily affected by alcohol. ‘He said he was “a criminal”.’
After the man was removed from the flight, police reportedly came on to search his chair.
A spokesperson for Qantas said that the flight was diverted due a passenger onboard requiring medical assistance.
The pilot made the decision to divert to Darwin as a precautionary measure as a result of the passenger’s unruly behavior. The aircraft landed safely, and the passenger was apprehended by local authorities upon arrival.
Australian Federal Police and NT Police were approached for comment by Daily Mail Australia.
Qantas has confirmed that the incident is being investigated at present, and the safety of its passengers and crew is of utmost importance. The airline has strict policies in place to deal with unruly passengers, and such incidents are taken very seriously.
Unfortunately, unruly passenger incidents have become more common in recent years, leading to increased efforts by airlines and aviation authorities to address the issue which includes implementing stricter penalties and fines for disruptive behavior on flights.
The passenger involved in this incident is expected to face legal consequences for his actions. Since disruptive behavior not only endangers the safety of others but also has serious legal repercussions, this serves as a reminder to all passengers to remain respectful and follow instructions while onboard an aircraft.
