AVIATION

7 February 2024: En Route from Thailand to London

A passenger on a Thai Airways flight en route from Thailand to London Heathrow was arrested after being accused of punching a flight attendant in the face. The London Metropolitan Police met the aircraft upon landing and the man was arrested and charged on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and endangering an aircraft after the incident. Witnesses said the man started shouting in the bathroom, then smashed the door so hard it came off the hinges. “An older guy — in the white t-shirt — tried to get him out. A fight broke out and he ended up smacking the flight attendant,” the witness added. “I think he broke his nose.” The crew told passengers the flight might have to divert to Dubai if the man continued his behavior according to a newspaper report. The witness said two passengers sat on either side of the man and “kept pulling him down. We had to put up with his shouting. He was being very verbally abusive.”