A passenger, on board a Brazilian flight, had to be handcuffed and strapped to her seat after she repeatedly screamed that the aircraft was on fire. The unidentified woman, who was reportedly drunk, caused panic among passengers when she started shouting that the Azul Airlines flight from Recife, Brazil, was doomed to crash.
In footage shared by the NY Post, flight attendants were seen rushing to calm the woman, who continued yelling and resisting their attempts to restrain her. Despite efforts to subdue her with handcuffs, the passenger swatted away at the staff and continued to scream about an imaginary fire. The situation escalated as she was eventually moved to the plane’s galley, where crew members finally managed to hold her down.
After the three-hour flight landed at Viracopos Airport, the unruly passenger was arrested by authorities, according to Brazilian media reports.
Azul Airlines later issued a statement confirming the incident, “An undisciplined customer was immobilised during the journey, as she was a risk to the crew and other customers,” the airline said. “This company follows the highest safety standards and regulations of national and international authorities. In addition, we periodically conduct training with staff at airports, including aircrews and pilots, in order to prepare them to deal with disruptive customers.”
Earlier, an EasyJet flight bound for Kos International Airport in Greece was forced to make an unexpected emergency landing at Munich International Airport after a reportedly intoxicated passenger sparked midair chaos. The trouble began two hours into the scheduled four-hour flight from London Gatwick Airport.
The traveller berated the Captain and sparked midair chaos, which led German police to escort him off the plane. Authorities took the passenger into custody.