Terror on flight AK1203

akuMNdia · Post time 19-2-2013 11:23 AM

By Johnson Fernandez | Malay Mail

COCHIN, India: Passengers on AirAsia's flight AK1203 from Kuala Lumpur to Cochin in India literally sat on the edge of their seats when one of them turned aggressive and tried to open the rear cabin door in mid-air late Saturday night.

The Malay Mail sports editor Johnson Fernandez, who was onboard, reported an hour after the plane took off from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang, the crew was already alerted about the rowdy behaviour of three passengers seated at the rear.

Not wanting to provoke the situation, the flight attendants kept a wary eye on the trio from a distance with a male personnel based permanently at the back.

Two-and-a-half hours into the flight, one of them became aggressive and started pulling at the handle of the cabin door at the rear.

The male attendant quickly summoned assistance from other passengers, who included a couple of burly men, and together with some others, including the first officer, quickly overpowered and restrained the suspect.  In the meantime, the perpetrator's two friends remained passive.

The passenger was quickly handcuffed with a cable tie and for the remaining flight to the major port city on the west coast of India while several passengers also kept watch over the trio, especially the aggressive individual.

The flight had 129 passengers and seven crew. There were at least three infants on board.  During the skirmish, some anxious passengers were seen breaking into quiet prayer.

When the plane landed safely on schedule at the Cochin International Airport, its security were already on the drawbridge when it parked at the terminal.

As soon as the passengers disembarked, the security personnel moved in and took custody of the passenger, who is believed to be an Indian national from the state of Kerala.  It was unclear if the suspect was intoxicated or under the influence of any other drug.