EN - News

Off-Duty Police Officers Flying To Canada On Vacation Restrain Passenger Who 'Uttered Threats'

The person was "endangering the safety of the plane.'

Two off-duty police officers who were heading on vacation to Canada stepped in to restrain a passenger who was "endangering the safety of the plane."

Austria’s Interior Ministry said the couple were on a Lufthansa flight to Vancouver International Airport from Frankfurt, Germany when the incident unfolded two hours into the flight.

A passenger is alleged to have started uttering threats. The police officers held "covert consultation" with the pilot and crew before "overwhelming the man with operational techniques that have been tried and tested by the Austrian Federal Police."

Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said: "Every disruptive passenger can seriously endanger the safety of a flight. I am proud of our two servants - their intervention was courageous, intelligent and courageous.

"This intervention shows once again how professional and committed the police officers are in Austria, even when they are off duty and on vacation."

The passenger was handed over to Canadian authorities after the plane landed, the ministry said.