Man has to be restrained by fellow passengers on flight to Russia

A passenger flying from Russia from Bangkok had to be restrained with tape and belts when he refused to stop drinking.

The man, flying on S7 flight 582 to the Russian city of Novosibirsk, had to be restrained by fellow passengers when the cabin crew were unable to subdue the 26-year-old.

The passenger boarded the flight to southwestern Siberia “looking completely sober”, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

Later in the flight, a cabin crew member noticed him drinking alcohol and asked him to stop, the airline said.

The passenger then began to annoy his neighbours by continuing to drink and speaking “too loudly”, and fellow passengers called for cabin crew assistance. “He ignored cabin crew members as well as the captain’s order to stop breaking the rules,” said S7.

“In order to guarantee flight safety cabin crew members asked the man to the rear kitchen area and tried to calm him down, when he started to offend and threaten other passengers and the crew.

“With the help of other passengers the man was restrained, however went on to behave inadequately, trying to hit his head against the floor. During the flight he was watched by a cabin crew member and a doctor.

“Right after landing he was handed over to police officers and fined for disorderly conduct.”

Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said that it had received a request for police assistance to meet the Bangkok flight on landing in Novosibirsk.

“The police arrived at the scene of the incident and found that a 26-year-old air passenger during the flight had used obscene language, waved his hands and did not respond to requests of the airline staff to observe the rules of conduct onboard the aircraft,” the ministry said in a statement.

S7 is a Russian airline that is part of the Oneworld Alliance alongside airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and American Airlines.