A couple of Austrian police officers were required to use their skills while traveling from Frankfurt, Germany, to Vancouver, Canada, last week. According to the Austrian Home Office, the off-duty officers helped subdue a disruptive passenger onboard the flight. The incident rounds off a year where disruptive passengers became a prominent theme.

Nobody wants a disruptive passenger on their flight. From causing worry and panic to flight diversions and even injuries, such occurrences never have a good ending. Unfortunately, despite the lower flying levels generated by the pandemic, such incidents are becoming more common.

Austrian police officers intervene

On Wednesday (December 29th), two Austrian police officers traveled to Canada via Frankfurt. The Austrian Home Office reported that they were traveling on a flight to Vancouver. Meanwhile, a Lufthansa spokesperson clarified to Simple Flying that the flight in question was LH470 traveling to Toronto. Unfortunately, around two hours into the transatlantic flight, one of the passengers began to make threats, endangering the plane's safety.

According to the Austrian Home Office, the two police officers quietly made themselves known to the crew and spoke with the pilots about the passenger. Using policing techniques, the two officers took action to overwhelm and secure the disruptive passenger.

The officers then handed the individual over to the Canadian authorities once the plane landed. Despite occurring two hours into an eight-and-a-half-hour flight, the aircraft continued to its destination as planned.

A Lufthansa Spokesperson told Simple Flying,

"We can confirm an incident involving a passenger on Lufthansa flight LH470 en route from Frankfurt to Toronto on December 29th. The flight arrived in Toronto as scheduled around 16:33 local time that day (22:33 Frankfurt time). The passenger was handed over to the local authorities upon landing. Lufthansa would like to thank the two Austrian police officers on board for their support during the flight"

Meanwhile, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner remarked,

"Any passenger who disrupts operations can seriously endanger the safety of a flight. I am proud of our two servants - their intervention was courageous, intelligent and courageous. This intervention shows once again how professional and committed the police officers are in Austria, even when they are off duty and on vacation."

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2021 - The year of unruly passengers

Despite a depressed number of flights due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the amount of incidents involving unruly passengers has been on the rise, especially in the United States. In August, Simple Flying reported that fines for unruly passengers had topped $1 million.

In November, it was reported that the FAA would start reporting such passengers to the FBI. Meanwhile, just two weeks ago, we learned that disruptive passengers would lose their TSA-Pre privileges, meaning longer lines and more thorough checks at the airport. With the industry set to return closer to normality in 2022, many will likely be hoping for a drop in such incidents.

Have you been on a flight with a disruptive passenger? Let us know your experience in the comments below!