A passenger on a Lufthansa flight on its way from Frankfurt to Belgrade on Sunday was detained after he threatened to open the plane door and bring down the aircraft.
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The exit doors don’t open during flights, and Lufthansa Flight 1406 from Frankfurt continued uninterrupted to Belgrade, authorities said.
“There was no threat to the safety of the flight”, the spokesman told Reuters.
Bartels declined to provide information on the identity of the passenger or his nationality, or what he said during the incident.
Serbian media outlet Blic had previously reported after the plane landed that the man had been yelling he was going to bring the plane down if he was not allowed into the cockpit.
He was arrested by police and questioned after the plane landed at its destination.
A group of professional sportsmen on board a Lufthansa flight from Franfurt to Belgrade held the man down after he jumped up in the middle of the flight and allegedly demanded access to the cockpit.
Members of the Serbian handball team Vojvodina were aboard the flight and noted the man’s unusual behavior.
“I exchanged a few words with him and he was very nervous”.
“A crew member and one of our coaches calmed him down and persuaded him to sit back down”.
Investigators say he threated to open a plane door during the flight.
Serbia’s public prosecutor on Sunday ordered the suspect in to 48-hour pre-trial detention on the grounds of endangering public safety.
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The man then fumbled with the emergency door of the Airbus A319 as it was above Austria before cabin crew and passengers restrained him.
