(Recast) Unruly passenger disturbs BA flight to Dubai

A passenger onboard a British Airways (BA) flight Tuesday had to be restrained after becoming aggressive, threatening to blow up the plane, reported the Dubai weekly Arabian Business Wednesday.

It took five crew members and another passenger to restrain the unruly passenger on the BA flight from London to Dubai.

According to the report, British Airways flight BA105 headed for Dubai took off from London Heathrow Airport at 8.55 pm Tuesday.

Airborne and five hours into take-off, a male passenger suddenly became unruly.

The passenger, whose nationality was not revealed, reportedly became violent, and lashed out at other passengers, claimed the father of one of the passengers onboard.

Arabian Business quoted English radio DJ Steve Penk whose daughter Natalie was aboard, who tweeted: "Some guy went berserk onboard five hours into the flight claiming he had a bomb and everyone was going to die. It took crew members and another large passenger to restrain him."

The passenger was then handcuffed and covered with a blanket because he started "spitting at everyone," stated the report.

Penk's daughter said "He shouted everyone was going to die. It was absolutely terrifying."

Penk tweeted a picture saying, "My daughter onboard last night just before take off. Very shaken up after landing, thank God she's okay."

He praised the swift reaction of the inflight BA crew, describing their help as "amazing."

The flight landed safely in Dubai at 6.56 am Wednesday, the report said.

A spokesperson for British Airways told Arabian Business "Our customers and crew deserve to enjoy their flight, without experiencing any form of abuse. This sort of behavior will absolutely not be tolerated, and appropriate action will always be taken."

The London-Dubai flight route is one of the most popular routes to and from the Middle East, directly served by several carriers on a daily basis. Endit