sky

An off-duty flight attendant took control of the public address system and then fought with passengers and crew members on board a Delta flight Friday in the latest outburst of violent behavior by airline passengers, the airline said. Delta said that Flight 1730, which had been headed to Atlanta from Los Angeles, landed in Oklahoma City after the off-duty flight attendant grabbed the public address system and made an announcement about oxygen masks, setting off a struggle with passengers and crew members who subdued him. Video from the flight showed a violent confrontation near the front of the plane involving several people who wrestled the man to the floor, while someone said: “Get him down. Keep him down.” “The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement,” Delta said. “We apologize to our customers for the delay and any additional inconvenience this caused.” The Oklahoma City police said they had removed a man from the plane and had taken him to a hospital, where he was released into the custody of the FBI Megan Lauro, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office, confirmed on Saturday that the agency was investigating. She said the man was in jail and being interviewed. She declined to comment on possible charges.<br/>

Air Europa will restore the majority of its US and Latin American services next month, when it will operate 87% of its pre-pandemic long-haul routes. The Spanish carrier says it will have reinstated 20 of its 23 US and Latin American routes by July. It will relaunch flights from Madrid to Miami on 12 June and will add New York the next day. The move follows a relaxation in travel restrictions to a number of countries including Spain by the US State department, and Spain’s decision to allow vaccinated travellers to enter the country. On 20 July, Air Europa will restore flights to Panama and Salvador de Bahia in Brazil using Boeing 787 aircraft. Other Latin American services to be restored include Bogota, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Lima and Quito. The airline says it will also add new frequencies on its European routes, gradually and in line with growing demand.<br/>

Vietnam Airlines plans operate a series of repatriation flights to the USA from 22 June, following approvals from US authorities. The flag carrier says it was granted a licence from the US Transportation Security Administration on 8 June to operate 12 repatriation flights to the USA this year, according to a 10 June statement. Vietnam Airlines says it plans to use Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft for the 12 repatriation flights. The first flight on 22 June will depart Hanoi for Washington DC, via Alaska, and return on 24 June. The airline has also worked with other authorities to secure the permits for the 12 flights, including the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, US Customs and Border Protection, US Federal Aviation Administration, US Department of Transportation and airport authorities it intends to operate to or through.<br/>