American Airlines flight rerouted after passenger makes ‘threatening statement’ to air crew

FBI investigating after cross-country flight diverted to New Mexico due to unruly passenger behaviour

An American Airlines flight turned around after a threat from a passnger (file photo) (Associated Press)

An American Airlines flight has been made an unscheduled landing after a passenger made a “threatening” statement to air crew during a mid-flight altercation.

The A321 Airbus had been travelling from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Los Angeles overnight on Monday when there was a “passenger disruption in which a threatening statement was made toward a crew member,” American Airlines spokesperson Stacy Day told The Independent.

Flight 482 was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it was met by law enforcement soon after landing at 10.25pm.

The passengers involved in the disturbance were hauled off the plane and the flight continued to Los Angeles, landing 50 minutes behind schedule at 11.20pm.

“We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this caused to their travel plans,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson at Albuquerque International Sunport airport told CNN the FBI were investigating the mid-flight disturbance.

According to figures from the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 323 unruly passenger reports in January, and 205 “mask-related” incidents.

Last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian called on the federal government to create a no-fly list for unruly passengers.