Tourists tie up drunk passenger with tape and belts after he ‘swore and attacked’ them three hours into a flight
- Witnesses said the man, 26, had been drinking whiskey and was a ‘bit hurt’ after
- Passenger was tied up on floor for some four hours until plane landed in Russia
- Others on A320 flight from Bangkok recorded the 15 January incident on phones
Tourists on a crowded holiday jet heading for Russia ‘neutralised’ a drunk passenger by tying him up with sticky tape and belts.
They acted after the crew were unable too subdue the man – and the pilot made it clear he was ready to make an emergency landing to hand the ‘hooligan’ over to police in China or Mongolia.
The passenger – aged 26 and reportedly recently released from prison in Thailand – ‘swore and attacked’ travellers seated near him on the A320 flight from Bangkok.
Passengers used tape and belts to ‘neutralise’ the drunk man, pictured, in the plane’s galley
Video shows the man tied with tape and belts on the floor of the aircraft’s galley.
Dozens of people, including a man holding a baby, can be seen standing in the aisle and passing belts down the plane towards the galley.
Passengers ‘neutralised’ him after stewardesses were unable to calm him – and he was tied on the floor for some four hours until the plane reached Russia.
A male passenger ‘hit the hooligan several times and with the help of other tourists tied him up’, said Colonel Irina Volk, spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry.
‘Witnesses confirmed that the captain had warned passengers that they might need to land in China or Mongolia because of this hooligan’.
The shocking incident was on a packed alcohol-free flight from Bangkok to Russia’s third largest city Novosibirsk, operated by S7, part of the same One World alliance as British Airways and American Airlines.
Dozens of concerned passengers stand in the aisle, left, and men give their belts, right, to try and restrain the ‘hooligan’ on board the Bangkok to Novosibirsk flight
Some 158 people were on board including babies and young children. Male passengers gave up their belts to secure the ‘hooligan’.
The abusive passenger had been drinking whisky from a bottle he carried on board – and started ‘offensive and threatening behaviour’ three hours into the seven hour 45 minute flight, according to witnesses.
Passenger Pavel Makarov posted: ‘I spotted him at the beginning of the fight – with a half empty whisky bottle and behaving strangely.’
Four hours into the flight, the captain intervened, he said.
‘There were three ways out under international aviation rules – one, the hooligan calms down.
‘Two, we continue flying and give the guy away to police on arrival and three, the plane lands in China or Mongolia and we sort it out on the ground.’
But he said: ‘The abuser got more and more wild and finally passengers neutralised him. They tied him with sticky tape and belts.’
Colonel Irina Volk, spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry, pictured, said a male passenger ‘hit the hooligan several times and with the help of other tourists tied him up’
The incident was on a packed flight from Bangkok operated by S7 which is part of the same One World alliance as British Airways and American Airlines (file picture)
The man was ‘hurt a bit’ and was given medical attention while tied up.
After landing in Novosibirsk, the man was taken away by transport police.
A spokesperson for S7 – Russia’s second largest airline after Aeroflot – said: ‘The passenger behaved in inadequate way during the flight. He was drinking alcohol, disturbed other passengers and did not react to orders from the crew.
‘For the sake of security, stewardesses have called the hooligan to the galley in the rear of the plane and tried to calm him down.
‘But he began to wave his arms, to threaten and abuse the crew and passengers.
‘Passengers subdued and tied him up but he continued his inappropriate behaviour.
‘During the rest of the flight he was closely watched by one of the stewards and a doctor – one of the passengers. As a result of this incident, there were no delays.
‘On arrival to Novosibirsk the hooligan was given away to airport police department where he was charged with hooliganism.’
It is understood the man was later fined.