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Qantas passenger calls cabin crew ‘paedophiles’ after they’re forced to restrain him

The man allegedly drank a bottle of vodka during the flight

Helen Coffey
Tuesday 19 March 2019 11:44 GMT
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A Qantas flight was disrupted by a drunk passenger
A Qantas flight was disrupted by a drunk passenger (Getty)

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An airline passenger shouted that cabin crew were “paedophiles” after they were forced to restrain him.

The man, named only as Henry, allegedly drank a bottle of vodka during the flight before becoming aggressive and verbally abusive.

The incident occurred on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Singapore and was caught on video by another passenger.

“Henry” can be seen standing in the aisle and shouting at the crew while another passenger attempts to hold his arms behind his back.

The video then cuts to the man sitting down, restrained by seatbelts, while continuing to verbally abuse a male flight attendant.

“People like you are paedophiles, so you cannot tell me how to behave,” he can be heard saying.

“I’m not illegal,” he adds.

Another passenger on the 28 February flight told Newsflare they were “shocked” by the incident, alleging that the man bought a bottle of vodka from the airport duty free shop and brought it onboard to drink in the toilet.

They added that the man was clearly drunk and at one point punched a flight attendant in the back.

While they said the man’s remarks were “very distressing and upsetting,” they praised Qantas staff for their handling of the situation.

A Qantas spokesperson said: “The passenger was restrained by crew and met by local authorities on arrival in Singapore.

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”We take a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour onboard and we thank our crew for their professionalism in managing the situation.“

The story comes after UK duty free chain World Duty Free decided to sell all alcohol, regardless of bottle size, in sealed bags that can only be opened by scissors or a knife – items that are not allowed in hand luggage.

The aim is to stop travellers drinking too much on flights after a slew of high profile cases of drunk and disruptive passengers.

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