Delta Flight from Los Angeles Makes Emergency Landing Due to Unruly Passenger

LOS ANGELES:
A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta was forced to divert its route and make an emergency landing Friday night after an unruly passenger made threats and attacked flight attendants, the airline said Saturday.

“Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 1730 (LAX to ATL) who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Oklahoma City (OKC),” Delta said in a statement. “The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement.”

According to US media reports, the unruly passenger was identified as an off-duty flight attendant.

The man “made terroristic threats and assaulted two flight attendants near the front of the plane,” reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, citing Oklahoma City police.

Crew members asked passengers for help and several people detained the man with the help of an off-duty pilot, reported the newspaper, adding that police later said that the man had exhibited signs of mental health issues.

It was the third time this month that a Delta flight out of Los Angeles had to divert due to an unruly passenger’s behaviour.

A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York was reportedly diverted to Detroit on Thursday after an unruly passenger became a threat.

Earlier this month, an unruly passenger was arrested after he had allegedly tried to breach the cockpit on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee, forcing the plane to divert to Albuquerque, New Mexico.