An off-duty pilot who was in a jump seat in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight on Sunday was charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder after he tried to cut fuel to the engines, prompting the plane to divert to Portland, Ore., the authorities said. Flight 2059, operated by Horizon Airlines, an Alaska Airlines regional subsidiary, left Everett, Wash., around 5:23 p.m. and was headed to San Francisco when it reported “a credible security threat related to an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who was traveling in the flight deck jump seat,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement on Monday. An airline spokeswoman said that the off-duty pilot tried to deploy the plane’s fire suppression system, which includes handles that, when pulled, close valves in the wings, shutting off fuel to the engines. “After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation,” Alaska Airlines said. One of the plane’s pilots told an air traffic controller that “we’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing issues in the back right now,” according to an audio recording posted on LiveATC.net, which shares live and archived recordings of air-traffic-control radio transmissions. “I think he is subdued,” the pilot added. The Port of Portland Police Department said in a statement that the flight crew “was able to detain the subject and the flight landed safely at Portland International Airport just before 6:30 p.m.” The man was taken into custody without incident. The department identified him as Joseph D. Emerson. According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Emerson, 44, was booked into jail on Monday morning on more than 80 counts of attempted murder, a felony; more than 80 counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor; and one count of endangering an aircraft, a felony.<br/>
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Akbar Al Baker, the outspoken chief executive officer who built Qatar Airways into one of the world’s premier airlines, plans to step down in November after more than a quarter century in the role. The 61-year-old CEO will be replaced by Badr Mohammed Al Meer, COO of Doha Hamad International Airport, as of Nov. 5, the state-owned airline said on its website Monday. The changes were first reported by aviation consultant Alex Macheras on social-media site X. Al Baker joined the then three-year-old regional carrier in 1997, building Doha into an East-West crossroads as Gulf rival Emirates Airline had done for Dubai. Qatar Airways has since grown into one of the world’s largest airlines, connecting Doha to more than 150 destinations stretching from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. Al Baker’s devotion to delivering a premium experience has won plaudits from customers — Qatar has been ranked first or second in Airline of the Year polling by consulting firm Skytrax since 2011 — but led to clashes with manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. “He is the man who put Qatar on the world stage, made it a global leader in terms of service quality and reputation,” said John Strickland, an aviation consultant with JLS Consulting. “He’s certainly a man who could divide opinion, never shy to say his thoughts and put the cat among the pigeons if he thought it was in the interest of Qatar Airways.” Most recently, Al Baker went to court with Airbus over an issue with flaking paint on widebody A350 jets. The high-stakes dispute rumbled on through 2021 with Qatar Airways ultimately grounding much of its 53-strong A350 fleet and refusing to take delivery of new aircraft. Airbus in turn canceled some orders, leading Al Baker to turn to Boeing for jets. <br/>