A massive brawl broke out on a flight after two passengers were confronted and beaten up by fellow passengers for refusing to wear face masks. The incident happened on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Ibiza last weekend. The video of the incident which shows one of the passengers with a bloodied nose has gone viral.
Some of the passengers are shown pushing the two passengers, while a few others tried to pacify them. KLM requires all passengers to wear masks inside the terminals and flights, according to the Netherland's policy. KLM later said in a statement that both the passengers were arrested after landing in Ibiza.
Trip Turns Wild
According to a report, the two passengers were on a holiday to Ibiza but they were without face masks when they entered the flight. Some passengers requested them to put on their masks for the safety of others. However, both refused, following which they were confronted by other passengers.
A video clicked by one of the passengers onboard the KLM 737 Boeing that took off from Amsterdam on Friday shows one of the passengers going shirtless after being shoved and pushed by the others for not wearing a face mask amid total chaos inside the flight. Several passengers are also heard shouting: "Stop now! There are kids over here!"
The footage also shows several other passengers without masks attacking the shirtless tattooed man with a bloodied nose. The shirtless man is then restrained on the floor with his arms behind his back. The other passenger who wasn't that aggressive during the brawl was also restrained after some time.
Airlines Face a New Challenge
According to the person who shot the video, the two passengers were drunk and were in no mood to even keep the request of the airline crew. "Panic and violent brawl!," the user wrote. "Unruly English passenger on board KLM flight to Ibiza, he had been drinking Gregus vodka. They refused to wear facemasks."
A flight representative later said that the two unruly passengers not only refused to wear their face masks but also were bothering their fellow passengers physically and verbally. The pilot informed the local authorities and the two were arrested on arrival.
KLM requires all passengers to wear masks inside terminals and on flights at all times until at least August 31. Spain has also enforced a mask policy and has put strict measures in place in the Balearic Islands, which are extremely popular for tourists. Ibiza also requires people to wear masks when out in public, with the exception of beaches, seafront promenades, in a swimming pool, in the countryside or while eating at a restaurant.
Incidents of passengers refusing to wear masks and going unruly on flights are being reported time and again since some countries resumed air travel. On July 23, a Delta flight from Detroit to Atlanta was forced to turn around and return to the gate when two passengers refused to wear face masks. Other incidents of brawls inside flights too have been reported after passengers refused to wear face masks.
