Swiss Airlines: Pilot forced to turn back flight and make emergency landing after unruly passenger tries to break into cockpit

A Swiss Airlines flight from New Jersey to Switzerland was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to break into the cockpit. The incident occurred on Sunday night (31 March) shortly after the flight took off from Newark Liberty International Airport.

NJ.com reports that the pilot contacted the authorities shortly after the plane took off due to an unruly passenger. The plane, an Airbus A330, landed back in Newark just before 11pm and the passenger was removed by police, according to Port Authority.  

The pilot stated PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN on a call which is the aviation acronym for 'possible assistance needed.' According to the New York Post, the pilot informed officials on the ground that the unruly passenger was “getting worse" and “tried to enter the cockpit”.

The pilot added: “We couldn’t restrain the passenger. He is freely moving through the cabin.” The airline said that a crew member was injured in the incident and taken to a local hospital, adding that the “passenger behaved abusively towards the crew”. 

The 233 passengers were to be rebooked for another flight, according to the airline. Officialshave not yet revealed the name of the passenger or additional information on the outburst.