Indonesia-bound plane makes emergency landing after drunk passenger bites steward's finger

In a bizarre incident, a Turkish Airlines flight to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, was compelled to divert to another airport in order to land earlier after a passenger got into a confrontation with cabin crew and had to be restrained. Local reports claimed that the man, who himself is a pilot for another airline, bit a steward's finger while intoxicated. According to the Daily Star report, Muhammad John Jaiz Boudewijn, the passenger who caused the disturbance, is a pilot for Indonesian airline Batik Air, which asserted that his unruly behaviour in no way represents the company's principles. 

The event unfolded as the flight attendants told the passenger to calm down since they believe he was intoxicated while on board the Boeing 777. However, he was alleged to have become even angrier and later bit a crew member on the finger, Express reported.  

In several videos that have been shared online, the person can be seen punching a flight attendant who is holding a pair of plastic handcuffs. As startled onlookers watched, the flight attendant then made an effort to tackle the man. Then, other cabin members entered to assist. 

Drunk passenger bites flight attendant's finger

According to flight trackers, the aircraft, which was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta, on Tuesday, October 11, at 5 p.m. (local time) was diverted over Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and later landed at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan. The plane was able to take off once more and reach its destination at approximately 8 pm (local time) after the person who is thought to have started the conflict was restrained and led off the aircraft. 

“The plane was forced to land in [Medan’s] Kualanamu Airport because there was a passenger who caused a scene by creating a disturbance.” citing Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief Sigit Dani Setiyono, Daily Star reported.  

In addition to this, unconfirmed reports claimed that Boudewijn was hurt as a result of the event. An official from the Jakarta Metro Police stated, "Because of the ruckus on the plane, Turkish Airlines dropped the Indonesian passenger who was injured at Kualanamu Airport, Medan,” Express reported.   

The Indonesian national who was thought to be intoxicated was undergoing treatment at Kualanamu Health Clinic. 

According to KabarPenumpang, a local news source, the Deli Serdang Police, which is active in the Medan region, is now looking into the event. 

(Image: Twitter/ @kabarpenumpang)