The passenger, who was identified as an Indonesian citizen and a pilot from another carrier, was intoxicated and bit a steward’s finger.
In a shocking incident, a Turkish Airlines flight to the Indonesian capital Jakarta was forced to make an emergency landing after an intoxicated passenger got into a fight with flight attendants. The incident took place on a Turkish Airlines flight, travelling from Istanbul to Jakarta on Wednesday.
A video of the incident posted on social media showed a man throwing punches at a crew member holding plastic handcuffs. While other passengers looked on, other flight attendants were seen rushing to de-escalate the chaos. One of the flight attendants was also seen kicking the passenger amid the ruckus.
Watch the video below:
Pesawat Turkish Airlines rute Istanbul-Jakarta harus dialihkan ke Medan gegara penumpang ngamuk dan serang kru. Pnp tsb akhirnya dihajar pnp lain dan kru sebelum diikat. Blm jelas akar permasalahannya apa sampai ybs menyerang kru pic.twitter.com/KrTrko6mTM
— #Pray4Kanjuruhan (@kabarpenumpang) October 12, 2022
The plane, which was due to arrive in Jakarta, was forced to divert to Kuala Lampur in Malaysia. It landed at Kualanamu International Airport, Medan.
According to the Express, the passenger, who was identified as an Indonesian citizen and a pilot from another carrier, was intoxicated and bit a steward’s finger. He was warned to calm himself down by flight attendants, however, this only antagonised him further, which led him to bite the finger of one of the members of staff on board.
Turkish Airlines reportedly said that their employee’s actions were in no way a reflection of the company’s values.
Separately, as per The Jakarta Post, a spokesperson for the Jakarta Police informed that once the man, who caused the altercation, was subdued and escorted off the plane, was given medical treatment at a health facility in Kuala Namu Airport.
Now, the incident is being investigated by the Deli Serdang Police, which operates in the Medan region.
