Indonesian budget airline Lion Air says it’s currently investigating a passenger who allegedly became hysterical and caused a panic on board a Jakarta-Padang flight yesterday.
According to the airline’s official statement, a passenger identified by the initials FAR started misbehaving about 30 minutes after the plane took off from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport yesterday. Out of the blue, FAR took out the life vest from under his seat and put it on himself before doing the same for his grandmother who was sitting next to him.
When the plane’s crew asked him to calm down, FAR walked up to the galley at the front of the cabin and warned other passengers that he could sense danger if the plane didn’t turn back to Jakarta, causing them to panic. The crew then took off FAR’s life vest and told him to sit back down, but he reportedly snatched the life vest, put it on, and warned others about the supposed danger six more times throughout the flight.
Upon arrival at Padang’s Minangkabau Airport, FAR was apprehended by airport police.
“An investigation by numerous parties, including aviation security, is still underway to determine why FAR did what he did, which could have compromised flight safety,” said Lion Air Spokesperson Danang Prihantoro, as quoted by Kumparan yesterday.
Danang added that FAR showed no signs of unusual behavior before boarding the flight.
It’s not clear if FAR will face criminal charges, but under Indonesian law, actions that could compromise flight safety are punishable by up to two years in prison or a IDR500 million (US$36,313.46) fine.
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