Frustrated Passengers Threaten Pilot, Flight Crew During Delay

A group of airline passengers frustrated after being stuck inside a plane during an extended delay reportedly began banging on the cockpit door and harassing crew members.

According to the India Times, Air India Flight AI865 from Delhi to Mumbai endured a delay of around eight hours after the plane reportedly suffered a technical issue that needed to be repaired before it could take off.

The passengers grew more and more frustrated and began mistreating flight attendants trying to keep the situation calm. Eventually, several people onboard started knocking on the cockpit door and began taunting the pilots to come out.

One of the passengers on the plane reportedly threatened to break open the cockpit door as others chanted insults at the captain. The frustrated travelers eventually forced an attendant to open the emergency exit.

Air India officials asked flight crew members for a detailed report of the behavior exhibited by passengers and are considering further action against the travelers who threatened the pilot and crew members.

“The AI865 flight on Thursday got delayed as it developed a technical snag. It had to return to the bay,” an Air India official told the India Times. “Passengers started knocking on the cockpit door, asking and taunting the pilots to come out. One male passenger even said that he will break open the cockpit door if the pilots didn’t come out.”

Last month, a British Airways passenger allegedly tried to headbutt a flight attendant on a trip from Houston to London after he broke out of handcuffs following previous disruptions on the flight.