Passengers boarding Pakistan International Airlines (PK 302) flight on Saturday morning (March 3) were in for a shock when a female passenger began physically assaulting a woman co-passenger at the time of boarding.
The incident took place in Karachi, Pakistan. According to Pakistan Today, the middle-aged woman attacked a female passenger, who is said to be in her 20s. Eyewitnesses and airport security identified the attacker as Sharmeen Abbas Naqvi, wife of Aga Khan University's (AKU) dean.
According to the site, the brawl took place at the entrance of the plane. Eyewitnesses recall that the woman tore the girl's clothes and physically assaulted her. It has been reported that the attack was unprovoked and it left the victim traumatized.
She was forced to de-board the plane because she needed medical help and the condition of her clothes prevented her from flying.
Soon after the events unfolded, Daily Times reported that the captain onboard and a few other passengers intervened and saved the victim.
"It was like warfare. The assaulter was out of control and behaved worse than a savage animal. The incident took us all by surprise because this woman seemed dangerous and it was violence of unimaginable degree. The victim couldn't defend herself at all and got injured in the process. Once I and my staff secured the battered victim into the cockpit, I called security immediately because the assaulter was still in a rage and terrifying the other passengers with her outburst," the pilot stated, according to the publication.
Another eyewitness shared, "I rushed to the front part of the plane after I heard wailing and crying. Upon approaching, I saw the assaulter dragging and beating the victim and she was half naked and crying and asking for help in terror. We were just petrified. The cabin crew was helping but this woman was violent and couldn't be restrained," Daily Times report stated.
This isn't the first onboard assault reported this week. On March 6, it was reported that EgyptAir Flight, flying from Muscat to Cairo, witnessed an "agitated" passenger attacking the crew 26 minutes into the four-hour flight.
News.com.au reported that the passenger attempted to storm into the cockpit. The passenger, who is believed to be an Egyptian, was unarmed but there is no immediate clarity if the incident was an act of terrorism.
Recently, it was also reported that a woman passenger on board United Express flight, that took off from San Francisco, tried to open the aircraft's door mid-air. She claimed to be God. The co-passengers had to restrain her and later detained.
It is not only passengers fighting with passengers and passengers attacking the crew that is making headlines. Earlier this year, Jet Airways fired two pilots for fighting in the cockpit of a flight flying from London to Mumbai.
Reports revealed that a male pilot slapped his female co-pilot during the journey. The woman left the cockpit in tears but returned after her colleagues persuaded her to go back.
Although it is unclear why these incidents are taking place, there is an increasing number of physical assaults on board of flights that are being reported in the recent times.
