From smashing plane window to strangling passenger: 4 mid-air brawls that terrified world

In this era of real-time updates, any video capturing the drama and the action quickly goes viral

By Web Desk

Published: Wed 5 Jul 2023, 5:28 PM

Last updated: Wed 5 Jul 2023, 8:05 PM

A great deal of preparation is involved when taking a flight. These days, however, another must-do should be added to a traveller's list: Pack a lot of patience because — with the mid-air brawls and unruly passengers reported recently around the world — you'll never know when you'll need it.

Fights erupting on flights have seemingly become more frequent, and in this era of real-time updates, any video capturing the drama and the action quickly goes viral.

From an aggressive boxer who started a scene on a plane to a man who attempted to strangle his wife in the middle of a panic attack, these brawls have shocked several passengers, cabin crew members, plus scores of Netizens around the world.

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Here are some of the recent incidents:

1. Boxer starts fight, screaming match on flight

Chaos broke out on a Ryanair flight to London when a man, reportedly a British boxer, got into a heated argument with another passenger.

He then rushes out into the aisle and charges at him, causing a wave of gasps from the other passengers as they take out their phones to film the disruption. He is seen shoving past a female flight attendant in order to get to the person he had an argument with, while two male passengers get out of their seats and manage to restrain him.

According to some media reports, he was screaming, trying to get someone to open the doors to the plane. He was offloaded from the flight and detained by the police.

2. Man tries strangling wife in the middle of panic attack

An elderly man caused a ruckus on an Air India flight as he suffered a panic attack for over 7 hours.

Three hours into the flight, the business class passenger was seen seated in a different seat, arguing with a flight attendant. The fight went on for about an hour, a witness said.

A short while later, the man began causing a scene by shouting in panic and kept asking the cabin crew to allow him to disembark. At one point, he reportedly attempted to strangle his wife, who then hid in the economy class out of fear.

The situation came to an end after two doctors on board administered the man with sedatives.

3. Plane window smashed as 2 brawls break out

Back in April, passengers on a flight from Cairns to Darwin in Australia were terrified after a window of the plane they were travelling on got smashed in the middle of a fight.

Two brawls reportedly prompted the plane to make emergency landings twice, according to international media reports.

A clip of the second incident shows a man raising a bottle above his head and then hitting another passenger with it. Details of the incident have not been made available, but it was reported that the internal window of the plane was shattered during the second fight.

Four passengers were reportedly charged with assault, property damage, possession of illegal drugs, among others,

4. Woman carried off flight after yelling, swearing at another passenger

In a video that went viral on social media, the woman — identified as Simone Bryna Kim — is seen yelling and swearing at a male passenger on board a Frontier Airlines plane parked on the tarmac of Miami International Airport.

“If you’re real, show me what’s up. I’m going to beat you... I guarantee you, I guarantee you," the woman was heard saying. "You're not even from Philly."

The argument escalated to a point that cabin crew members and the police had to step in. Upon being informed that she was under arrest, the woman started "pushing and pulling away" from the officers, according to reports. She also allegedly "scratched an officer" and "bit" some of them.

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