A Wizz Air flight bound for London-Luton Airport (LTN) in the UK from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Israel was forced to land prematurely due to an unruly passenger on board.
The Airbus A321 left Israel on September 4, 2023, shortly after 10.30pm local time, but due to the behavior of the passenger the pilot decided to land at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) in Serbia.
According to Channel 12, an Israeli news broadcaster, the passenger attempted to open the emergency door mid-flight and tried to attack cabin crew members.
Flight Airbus A321-271NX, which was due to land at LTN at 1:30am, remained in Belgrade overnight and passengers were forced to deplane.
“The company is dealing with the onward flight of all customers to London. The safety and security of passengers and crew are the company’s top priority. The company regrets the inconvenience caused by this unexpected incident,” a statement from Wizz Air said.
It is not the first time this year that passengers have tried to open the door mid-flight.
In July 2023, a Jet2 passenger was removed from a plane after he reportedly tried to open the aircraft door while flying to Scotland from Turkey.
Also, in May 2023, a passenger opened a door mid-flight on an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 as it was landing at Daegu International Airport (TAE), South Korea.
AeroTime has contacted Wizz Air for any updates on the incident.