A man aboard a Frontier Airlines flight en route to Houston had to be restrained by fellow passengers on Wednesday after he began kicking seats and hitting a window, eventually breaking the Plexiglas, police said. The flight, F9 4856, departed from Denver and was in the air for about 20 to 30 minutes, when a woman asked the man behind her to switch seats, according to passenger Victoria Clark. This man quickly became enraged, profusely kicking the woman’s seat and trying to break the window, Clark said. "I started having a panic attack," Clark told ABC News. "[I thought] it could be a terrorist attack." The man continued to hit the window and was eventually able to break the Plexiglas, passengers said. Without an air marshal on board, flight attendants asked if there was any law enforcement to help, passengers recounted. That’s when Tanner Phillips, a former member of the military, said he stepped in. "This guy was just going crazy," Phillips told ABC News. "He was screaming in multiple languages, punching out the window and laying back and trying to kick it out. I wanted to help as much as I could." Story has details.<br/>
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Indian operator IndiGo has signed a damp lease agreement with Scandinavian low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways for a sole Boeing 787-9, which will enter service in March. IndiGo on 6 February adds that it is open to “exploring opportunities” to contract additional aircraft with Norse Atlantic. The sole 787 will arrive in India some time in February and operate with IndiGo for a six-month period. The carrier says the agreement is extendable up to 18 months, subject to regulatory approval. The announcement comes weeks after the airline confirmed its intention to add widebody aircraft earlier than expected. While it already has a pair of 777s on wet lease from Turkish Airlines, it will only be receiving its first owned widebody aircraft - from its firm commitment for 30 Airbus A350-900s - in 2027. Media reports had earlier suggested IndiGo will lease six 787-9s from Norse Atlantic, and will deploy the type on European flights. IndiGo did not disclose any network plans for the 787 in its latest statement.<br/>
India's Akasa Air said on Thursday it is raising fresh capital from the investment offices of Wipro founder Azim Premji and Manipal Hospitals Chairman Ranjan Pai, as well as funds of wealth management firm 360 ONE. The airline, among India's newest carriers, did not disclose any financial terms. It said late Indian billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's family would also pour additional capital into the airline. The family is one of the biggest backers of the low-cost carrier. Akasa, which flies a fleet entirely made up of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, is in a regulatory soup over alleged rule violations, including those on training guidelines. The carrier flies to 22 domestic and 5 international cities with its operational fleet of 27 MAX single-aisle jets. It has 226 more aircraft on order with Boeing. Akasa ended 2024 with a market share of 4.6%, making it India's third-largest airline after IndiGo and the combined Air India group – which together control nearly 90% of India's domestic aviation market. "Akasa Air continues to be well-capitalised, and these investments allow us to secure enduring, sustainable growth, with a financial safeguard to weather any unexpected challenges, thus reinforcing our readiness for the future," finance chief Ankur Goel said.<br/>
Hainan Airlines has disclosed plans to sell its fleet of nine Boeing 787-8s, as it looks to “further optimise” its fleet structure and cut operating costs. The disposal will involve “market-oriented methods”, including a direct sale or a lease, says Hainan, which adds that the plan was approved by the airline’s board on 27 January. Hainan adds that the deal will be subject to shareholder approval, and that it has not identified a counter-party to the deal. The airline’s 787-8s are powered by GE Aviation GEnx-1B engines, and are configured to seat 213 passengers in two classes. The nine jets are between 10 and 12 years old. According to the airline, the -8s account for less than 3% of its total aircraft operations. Hainan also flies the larger -9, with a fleet of 28 examples. Hainan states that it is disposing the -8s “in order to further optimise fleet structure, reduce…operating costs and improve [fleet economics]”. <br/>
Some passengers aboard a Scoot flight bound for Changsha were forced to spend a night at an airport in Vietnam on Wednesday (Feb 5), following technical difficulties that forced the plane to divert to Ho Chi Minh City. The flight coded TR124 had left Singapore as scheduled just after 6pm on Feb 5 for Changsha city in central China, a journey that would have taken around four hours and 40 minutes. But pilots detected a technical fault in the Airbus A320 aircraft, and landed the plane uneventfully at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City at 8.38pm, a Scoot spokesperson said in response to media queries. While the airline arranged hotel accommodation for the affected passengers, immigration regulations meant they had to remain in the airport, the spokesperson said, adding that meals were provided in the airport. Scoot did not say how many passengers were affected.<br/>
A plane in Thailand was delayed for six hours thanks to an unusual reason - two of the crew started fighting each other. Sky Angkor Airlines flight ZA679 was already taxiing to the runway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok when the argument broke out. Yelling can be heard on video footage from the plane before the captain is heard to say: “Ladies and gentlemen, please be calm. Buckle up, please.” The flight on January 17 was heading to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The crew had to be replaced, causing the lengthy delay. The reason for the fight has not been disclosed. The airline has apologised.<br/>