A Finnair Airbus A319 was en route from the Finnish capital Helsinki to Zurich when the aircraft was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Berlin. The cause was a disruptive passenger.
The Airbus A319, registration OH-LVC, departed from Helsinki Airport on Wednesday afternoon, April 23, around 1:30 PM. It soon became clear that there was a disruptive passenger on board. The passenger was reportedly a 42-year-old man from Finland, according to Finnish police. The man was kicking around, yelling, and spitting on his fellow passengers. Furthermore, he held onto a flight attendant while she asked him to let go.
The pilot had to intervene because the situation had become untenable. As a result, he made an unscheduled stop at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where authorities escorted the man off the A319. Passengers on board were also asked if there were any witnesses willing to give statements.
The troublemaker underwent a breathalyzer test, which revealed that he had 1.27 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. Due to administrative procedures, officers withheld 2,200 euros from him before sending him away from the airport. The German authorities transferred the case to the Finnish police, who are handling the matter. The A319 eventually departed around 6:40 PM for Zurich.
Under the seat
It is not uncommon for passengers to misbehave in such a manner. However, it is quite remarkable that this A319 made an unscheduled stop midway through its route. There have been several incidents where passengers consumed excessive amounts of alcohol before a flight. For this reason, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary even mentioned last year that he wanted to impose an alcohol limit on board.
According to former KLM purser Martin Heck, it is not always easy to identify drunk passengers. “You have to be very alert. You may have been offered one or two glasses of wine, but they could still have a bottle of vodka under the seat. You don’t always see that,” said Heck in an interview with EenVandaag.