Police Called to London Airport after Passengers Confront Staff over 10-Hour Delay

Armed police were called to London Heathrow Terminal 5 after passengers began taking out their frustrations over a broken jet.

Metropolitan Police were dispatched to Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Monday after tensions escalated between British Airways staff and frustrated flyers over a broken aircraft. The Daily Express reports the police were called in when passengers on BA Flight 175 to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) staged a “mutiny” after their flight was delayed for more than 10 hours.

Passengers on the flight told the Express they were stuck on a Boeing 747 for over three hours with no air conditioning, due to a hydraulics problem with the aircraft. Ultimately, they were allowed to disembark with promises of a replacement aircraft to deliver them to JFK.

Upon learning that the flight crew had reportedly run out of flying hours, resulting in further delay, passengers’ moods turned sour. According to eyewitness accounts, a group of the affected travelers surrounded a boarding gate desk and demanded more information from the customer service team. According to a Metropolitan Police representative, that was when officers were dispatched to the terminal.

“My first thought was that there had been a terrorist attack,” Brenda Baxter, a passenger on BA Flight 175, told the Express. “About 10 armed police turned up. Six of them took up positions behind the desk and others stood amongst the seated passengers. It was very intimidating.”

The officers were cleared from the scene in less than an hour, and none of the passengers were arrested for their part in the disturbance. British Airways is reportedly investigating the incident. A spokeswoman for LHR declined to comment.

[Photo: Andy Rain via Daily Mail]