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Police Investigating Stabbing Aboard British Airways Flight

Joe Cortez July 05, 2023

Police forces in the Caribbean are looking into what lead to a fight and stabbing aboard a British Airways flight departing from London Gatwick Airport.

Passengers aboard a nearly nine-hour flight from London to St. Lucia in the Caribbean were left reeling after an assault on another flyer ended in a reported stabbing.

Great Britain’s The Sun reports the incident happened aboard British Airways Flight 129 landing at St. Lucia Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) on Monday, July 3, 2023.

Flyer Reportedly Used Broken Bottle to Stab Another Passenger

According to eyewitness reports speaking to the tabloid, the incident escalated with around 90 minutes left to go into the flight. It is unclear what sparked the fight between the two men traveling to the popular vacation spot, but flyers talking to The Sun say the two were arguing from takeoff at London Gatwick Airport (LGW).

The fight came to a head when the two began shoving one another. One of the two entered the crew galley and broke a glass bottle, leaving sharp glass shards everywhere. The assailant returned to the fight and reportedly used the broken bottle to stab the other flyer. Photos submitted to the newspaper from others aboard the flight show blood splattered within the cabin.

Both the cabin crew and other passengers were able to intervene in the fight and force the two fighters to return to their seats. The article did not say if or how they were restrained. The pilots requested both police and paramedics to meet the aircraft upon landing. Both persons were reportedly taken into custody by police in St. Lucia to face questioning.

In a statement to the newspaper, British Airways backed the quick actions of the crew to stop the fight from getting even worse.

“We’re shocked that anyone would act in this way and are grateful to our highly trained cabin crew and the customers who supported them in handling this difficult incident,” the statement reads. “We want to assure customers that this behaviour will never be tolerated and we will always take the appropriate action.”

Bloody Fight Happens as In-Flight Incidents Decrease

The fight aboard the British Airways aircraft comes as unruly passenger incidents are trending downward from the pandemic. Year-to-date, the Federal Aviation Administration reports only 890 unruly passenger reports, significantly down from the 5,973 submitted in 2021.

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