Flight declares emergency after passenger attacks attendant and tries to enter cockpit

A pilot was forced to declare an onboard emergency after a passenger attempted to force his way into the cockpit.

United Airlines flight 1837 sounded the alarm as it was landing at New York’s Newark International Airport after a passenger threatened flight attendants.

In a recording, the flight’s pilot requested emergency service vehicles meet the plane as it touched down at the Big Apple’s second busiest hub.

The captain was heard telling ATC: ‘Gentleman has just attacked one of the flight attendants and tried to open the forward main cabin door.’

‘Oh my God’, the flight controller replied.

The incident was reported just after 6pm on Saturday.

Port Authority Police said they had arrested the 48-year-old passenger.

He was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation, CBS reported.

In a statement, a spokesperson for United Airlines said: ‘Local law enforcement met United flight 1837 upon its scheduled arrival at Newark International Airport to address an unruly passenger.

‘We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of fellow crew members and our customers.’

The incident comes after the US aviation sector was dealt a blow as ultra-low cost carrier Spirit Airlines wound up out of business after 34 years in the sky.

Spirit, which employed more than 17,000 people, carried passengers on its distinctive bright yellow planes.

But the airline went under after having struggled with multiple pressures since the Covid pandemic, compounded now by the jet fuel crisis exacerbated by events in the Middle East.

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