Disruptive Phuket-bound passenger thrown off flight in Karachi

A disruptive Phuket-bound passenger on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul was thrown off the aircraft yesterday and arrested after the flight diverted to Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

After the passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement, the flight continued to Phuket.

Turkish Airlines flight TK-172 on an Airbus A330 diverted to Karachi three hours into the flight near the Iran, Pakistan border. The diversion was not an emergency but was a precautionary measure taken by the flight crew.

Upon landing, the disruptive Turkish Airlines passenger was arrested and taken back to Turkey. Afterwards, TK-172 continued to Phuket, where it landed safely. No injuries were reported.

This incident is one of many flight disruptions caused by a misbehaving passenger that has taken place over the past few months. The reason for the rise is unclear, as every situation is unique and different people have different motives. Alcohol and drugs are reported factors in many incidents, however, many incidents involve sober passengers.

Other psychological factors may play a part in disorderly conduct. Regardless of the reason, airlines and government organisations are cracking down. Many airlines have established no-fly lists for disruptive passengers from previous accounts.

Airlines have the right to refuse service to anyone in most countries. The US federal aviation commission (FAA) is currently imposing ranging from US$9,000 (1750,000 baht) to US$52,000 for unruly passengers.

Since the pandemic began, passengers have acted out in protest against mask policies and other regulations. Since most pandemic travel restrictions have been removed, including face mask requirements in many countries, reports of passengers acting out over these matters have reduced. However, passengers continue to misbehave worldwide.

A few months ago, a LOT Polish Airlines flight travelling between Warsaw and Toronto was diverted to Iceland, a few hours into the flight, when a passenger became hostile after being denied a drink. The passenger attempted to assault a crew member but was apprehended by passengers. During the ensuing scuffle, the passenger attempted to open an aircraft door before being restrained by other passengers.

Earlier this month a flight from Bali to Singapore had to cancel its landing approach when several passengers refused to wear their seatbelts.

That incident came just a week after Singapore Airlines blacklisted a traveller who struck a member of airline staff on a flight from Bangkok to Copenhagen via Singapore.