diverted

Oct. 31 (UPI) — At least 15 passengers of a JetBlue flight were hospitalized after their aircraft experienced a sudden drop in altitude, according to reports that state the plane made an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla.

According to air traffic tracker Flightradar24, the Airbus A320-232 departed Cancun, Mexico, at 1:03 p.m. local time Thursday for Newark, N.J., but was diverted to Tampa, where it landed.

JetBlue told Fox News in a statement that flight 1230 experienced a “drop in altitude” and a “flight control issue,” causing it to be diverted.

It landed in Tampa at around 2:18 p.m. EDT.

Tampa Bay Fire Rescue spokesperson Vivian Shedd told CNN in a statement that between 15 and 20 people were evaluated and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“The safety of our customers and crew members is always our first priority, and we will work to support those involved,” JetBlue said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The incident comes as the now month-long government shutdown has been particularly taxing on air travel, resulting in an increase in traffic issues as employees are being asked to work without pay. Ground delays have been reported throughout the country.

Oct. 27 (UPI) — A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston over the weekend after a 28-year-old man stabbed two minors with a metal fork, federal prosecutors said.

Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was charged Monday with one count of assault with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

Lufthansa flight 431 departed Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 4:26 p.m. local time Saturday, en route to Frankfurt, Germany, but was diverted to Boston as it was flying over Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador, according to air traffic tracker flightaware.com.

According to federal prosecutors, the diversion was allegedly caused by Usiripalli.

Court documents state that following meal service, a 17-year-old boy who had been sleeping in a middle seat awoke to the suspect standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly stabbed the teen in the left clavicle area with a metal fork.

The suspect is then accused of lunging at a second 17-year-old boy who was sitting to the first victim’s right, stabbing him in the back of the head.

As flight crew tried to restrain Usiripalli, he allegedly “formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger.”

He is also accused of slapping a female passenger and attempting to slap a flight crew member.

According to flightaware, the flight landed at Logan International Airport at 10:48 p.m. On its arrival, Usiripalli was arrested and taken into police custody, federal prosecutors said.

The Justice Department said Usiripalli, an Indian national, had no lawful status in the United States but had previously been admitted to the country on a student visa. He had been enrolled in a biblical studies master’s program.

He is to expected to appear in a Boston federal court at a later date.

If convicted, Usiripalli faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

A RYANAIR flight was diverted after a passenger allegedly “ate his passport” and another tried to flush theirs down the toilet.

The passenger jet set off from Milan for Stansted before the two men began acting strangely around 15 minutes into the flight, it is claimed.

1

Police met the flight and six men left the plane before reaching their destination

A rowdy Brit stag do saw a plane diverted before police boarded the flight and escorted them off. The six-man group were marched off of the aircraft after it landed half way to its intended destination.

Witness Arron Davies, who was travelling with friends Mike and Scott, said two of the members on the stag do were allegedly vaping in their seats whilst drinking heavily and being abusive towards the stewards.

During the easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Marrakesh, Morocco, the men were allegedly warned six times before the staff took action. Arron, Mike and Scott, of Newport, south Wales, watched as the pilot announced that the flight would land in Faro airport, Portugal.

The diverted aircraft was greeted by eight Portuguese police officers who dealt with the group. Two men were led off whilst the other four stag do members made their way off the plane.

“The four friends were annoyed that their two mates had ruined their trip,” Arron said. “The men were vaping in their seats and toilet, drinking heavily and to my opinion already drunk or close to when boarding. They were being abusive towards staff on the flight.”

He added: “They were being loud and using a lot of bad language despite children being on the flight.” He alleged: “They were warned about six times, but every time the one man muttered when the staff walked away, making the problem worse.

“One of the men gave up and walked towards the exit when he realised how serious his actions were being taken. The other man stayed in his seat and was escorted out by up to eight police officers, four getting in the plane from either side.

“The flight steward was very good at his job dealing with this issue on the flight, he gave them many chances. I would call the guy a true asset to easyJet. His level of professionalism was on point even though a lot of abuse was aimed at him.

“He kept his composure and made me feel I was still safe even with the drama happening in front of me.”

An easyJet spokesperson said: “This flight from London Gatwick to Marrakech on 19 May diverted to Faro and was met by police upon arrival due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively onboard. Once the passengers had left the aircraft, the flight then continued to Marrakech.

“Our cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and acted quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers was not compromised at any time. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority and we do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard.”