Drunk Russian Passenger Attacks Aeroflot Crew, ‘Tears Apart Flexcuffs,’ And Tries To Smash Window

An Aeroflot passenger became violently intoxicated and attempted to break the aircraft’s window, leading the pilot to make an emergency landing of the Dubai – Moscow flight in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday.

The 38-year-old passenger on board the Russian carrier’s Boeing 777 launched a two-phase attack.

  • He unleashed a barrage of verbal abuse directed at both airline staff and fellow travelers, screaming and then also kicking employees in a drunken frenzy.

  • Other passengers stepped in to restrain the man using seatbelts but he broke free, tearing apart flexcuffs that had been applied by crew. He then went to smash the window with his fist. That’s when they diverted.

The man was promptly taken into custody by Azerbaijani authorities and the aircraft remained grounded for nearly three hours before it could continue its journey to Moscow.

One traveler recounted that the man “was completely out of control. He was spitting and abusive towards the flight attendants despite multiple warnings.” Another passenger added, “We were terrified when he tried to break the window. It felt like we were in a real-life crisis.” He later claimed he had no recollection of his actions once he sobered up. At least he isn’t using the Shaggy Defense.

On Christmas Day, Russia downed an Azerbaijan Airlines flight with missiles. The Russian jet was still welcome in Azerbaijan. However I’d think more airline passengers entering Russian airspace would be this drunk after that incident, to be honest, or just because their airline hasn’t had access to legitimate spare parts since their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Russian authorities don’t have ANY tolerance for this kind of behavior. For punishment he could get sent to the Ukraine front lines.

  2. Oh, the irony of this incident with key words so similar to the other one from earlier this week (Russia, airplane, Azerbaijan, emergency). At least the Azerbaijanis allowed the Russian aircraft to land, whereas the Russians did not afford the Azerbaijanis the same courtesy after the Russians literally shot down one of their planes. I guess this is what we do: turn the other cheek while these fascists get away with everything.

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