Flight diverted to Mumbai, courtesy unruly passenger

Ruckus at 32,000 ft

A Dubai-Kozhikode IndiGo flight (6E89) was diverted to the Mumbai airport following unruly behaviour by a passenger. The flight had a precautionary landing at 9.15 am on Thursday.

Initially there were reports that one of the passengers shouted pro-Islamic State slogans. However, it was denied by the officials of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Central Industrial Security Force and IndiGo.

After offloading the passenger and his brother, the plane continued its onward journey.

Confirming the incident, an IndiGo spokesperson said a little before landing, a passenger seated on 5D (who was accompanied by his brother) suddenly started misbehaving with the crew.

“He jumped on the forward cart (which is used for food and onboard merchandise) and sat on it.  The crew immediately informed the captain-in-command and the lead crew. The lead politely requested the passenger to step down from the cart and he obliged. This passenger after stepping down from the cart, suddenly got violent and started physically abusing the other co-passengers,” an airline spokesperson said.

Taking precautionary measure, the captain immediately informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the ground security staff about the situation on board.

“The flight made the precautionary landing at the Mumbai airport where this passenger was handed over to the CISF for further investigations. The matter is now with the local authorities,” the spokesperson added.

Passengers of the flight said the unruly man appeared to be mentally unstable. Passengers who arrived in Kozhikode told television reporters at the airport that the man tried to attack some of them.

“He appeared to have some mental issues and was accompanied by his brother… he was, in fact, making statements against  IS,” a passenger said. Another passenger said the man was claiming that he would “rescue” the passengers. Some of the passengers also sustained minor injuries in scuffles with the man.

“He started off with what appeared to be an incoherent speech. Later, he started to abuse others… naturally, we were all tense,” said another passenger. The aircraft, scheduled for a 9.50 am arrival, landed at 12.05 pm.