Dubai: A Dutch passenger aboard an Emirates flight to London on February 14 was arrested on arrival at the Heathrow airport for allegedly attacking the plane crew on air.
An Emirates spokesperson told XPRESS on February 17: “Emirates can confirm that on February 14, an incident occurred on flight EK 005 from Dubai to London Heathrow, whereby an unruly passenger was restrained by cabin crew.”
The spokesperson said the passenger was handed over to authorities in London. “The safety of our passengers and crew is of critical importance and will not be compromised. As the matter is now under police investigation, Emirates cannot comment further on the incident.”
Assault
According to western media reports, the airline staff and a travelling police officer tied the man’s arms and detained him on the cabin floor before handing him over to the police at the London airport. They quoted eyewitnesses as saying the man was fastened with a ‘black rope’ and at one point had his face covered with a face mask, before the travelling police put him in a headlock.
The 30-year-old man is alleged to have attacked three airline staff members. Reports said the incident, under investigation, was being treated as a common assault case. The Metropolitan Police was quoted as saying it was not linked to terrorism.
Police officers reportedly boarded the plane as soon as it touched down Heathrow’s Terminal 3 and whisked the Dutch national to the Heathrow police station.
Although unruly passenger incidents are not that common, they do occur. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there were more than 28,000 such incidents between 2007 and 2013 worldwide. The Tokyo Convention has long governed offences that occur during flights and applies to any act jeopardising the safety of persons or property on board an inflight civilian plane. The Montreal Protocol covers key issues like jurisdiction, extending it to the destination country of the flight and the country of aircraft registration and the airline’s right of recourse.
