A British tourist has been arrested for allegedly punching a fellow plane passenger in a midair rampage, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.
According to the Daily Mail, the Turkey-bound plane from the UK was forced to land at Thessaloniki Airport in Greece due to the serious escalation.
The British, 35, was reported to have repeatedly punched the Turkish passenger, 41, who underwent a medical check-up following the alleged attack.
Upon landing, Greek airport security officers arrested the British passenger, and a medical team examined the victim, confirming he was fit to continue his journey.
“The British, who has not been further identified, has been charged with interference of transportation, intentional injury, disobedience to orders and public disturbance,” the Daily Mail reported.
“He is expected to appear in court soon.”
The incident is reported to have occurred just weeks after a Turkish Airlines flight en route to San Francisco was diverted to Chicago following the death of a passenger during the flight.
“Flight TK79 departed from Istanbul just before 2:30 pm local time on July 15 and was in the air for almost 12 hours before the emergency landing,” the Daily Mail wrote.
They further said the passenger began experiencing a severe medical emergency as the plane flew over Greenland, according to Aviation A2Z.
In response to the passenger's condition, the newspaper explained that the crew prepared to land at Keflavik Airport in Iceland.
“Flight attendants performed CPR on the passenger, and consulted medical personnel on the ground via radio,” Daily Mail said.
However, despite the crew's efforts, the passenger died in the air, and the pilots reassessed an emergency landing.
According to the Daily Mail, the flight staff decided to land at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where medical personnel could handle the passenger's body.
“Since the passenger was already pronounced dead in the air, there was less urgency to land outside of US territory,” they said.
