EXCLUSIVE: Passengers on flight where a man was stabbed blame BA

EXCLUSIVE: Passengers caught on Gatwick-St Lucia flight where a man was stabbed in mid-air blame BA for giving assailant ‘an endless supply of alcohol’ and ‘ignoring’ men who ‘harassed women and blocked access to the toilet’ as they partied for HOURS

• Chaos broke out aboard BA flight 2159 from Gatwick to St Lucia on Sunday
• Two passengers argued before one smashed a bottle and stabbed the other 
• Were you on the flight? Email [email protected] with more info 

Passengers on a British Airways flight to the Caribbean who witnessed a man smash a wine bottle and stab a fellow passenger have slammed the airline for providing him with ‘unlimited’ alcohol and failing to intervene when he ‘harassed women’ onboard.

Shaken onlookers claimed a large group of men spent hours ‘loudly partying with an endless supply of alcohol’ provided by BA staff, as well as approaching multiple female passengers, whom they harassed or ‘grabbed’, before the incident.

Shocking footage shows the moment flight BA2159 from Gatwick to St Lucia descended into chaos as a brawl broke out between several passengers around an hour and 20 minutes from touchdown.

Those onboard have told MailOnline BA staff ‘did not intervene’ and ‘poured fuel on the fire’ by ‘ignoring’ rowdy behaviour in the run up to the assault, and claimed people on the plane were unable to use the bathroom for several hours.

As a row escalated into a physical altercation, two passengers are said to have suffered injuries from the broken glass, but the pilots had no option but to continue on to the island’s Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort. 

An airline passenger smashed a glass bottle and stabbed a fellow passenger in a frenzied attack on a British Airways flight to the Caribbean

The unidentified aggressor attempted to stab another passenger with a broken bottle

According to the St Lucia Times, the brawl kicked off when one passenger, who had been arguing back and forth with another man on the flight, snapped and stormed to the kitchen area of the Boeing 777 jet.

The aggressor, a man from St Lucia wearing a bucket hat and spectacles, is said to have smashed a bottle in the galley, spraying shards of glass throughout the food preparation area, before beelining back up the gangway and plunging the jagged edges of the bottle into his foe.

But passengers told MailOnline how he was one of a group of men who blockaded access to the bathroom and ‘partied’ for hours.

One woman said: ‘The main aggressor was behaving terribly in the lead up to the incident, the BA staff were perhaps too intimidated to regain control but the atmosphere was clearly leading to some kind of incident.

‘A handful of men were lingering at the back of plane for hours, loudly partying with an endless supply of alcohol provided by the BA staff. 

‘They approached numerous women on the flight, myself and a fellow passenger were grabbed by the arm when we passed by and pulled back as they tried to engage us. 

‘Staff saw this and did not intervene, contributing to the escalating atmosphere. Hours passed with women unable to access the loos.’

A second woman, who was sat in the same cabin where the attack unfolded, claimed BA staff ‘ignored’ the group as they were ‘harassing female passengers’, leaving them in tears.

She said: ‘The man who perpetrated the assaults was approaching lone women on the flight trying to chat them up, he told me both his parents had just died so he’s got a house now on St Lucia and was offering to be the tour guide.

‘[He was] touching my arm and generally making me feel very uncomfortable. 

The aggressor, a man from St Lucia wearing a bucket hat and spectacles, is said to have smashed a bottle in the galley, spraying shards of glass throughout the food preparation area

Heroic passengers and staff then dived in to separate the pair, but not before the unarmed passenger received a nasty gash

‘BA flight attendants poured fuel on a fire, they allowed a party atmosphere where people were not able to go to the flight attendants and ask for anything because about 10 men were all stood up at the back of the plane blocking the facilities and drinking heavily. 

‘They were all extremely drunk after two hours and formed an intimidating wall of men at the back of the plane. 

‘All of this behaviour was ignored by the attendants: the harassing female passengers, the blocking of facilities and excessive drinking.’

She added the atmosphere on the plane was ‘extremely uncomfortable long before the assaults’ and said she believes BA are ‘at fault’ for failing to intervene sooner.

She continued: ‘It’s very disappointing that BA has not contacted passengers yet even though I’m sure there have been multiple complaints as women near us started panicking and did not stop crying for the remaining hour-and-a-half of the flight.’

Heroic passengers and staff dived in to put an end to the incident after the assailant’s victim was stabbed, but not before the unarmed passenger received a considerable gash, and blood was splattered across the cabin.

Were you on the flight? 

Email [email protected] with more info 

One peacemaker, also St Lucian, was cut badly and was treated by a nurse on the flight.

Those on the plane described how after being calmed down, the man was kept in one area of the plane until landing.

The pilot is said to have then announced a ‘medical incident’ onboard the flight, and instructed everyone to stay in their seats.

Paramedics and three police officers then boarded the plane to take the injured passengers to hospital, and police removed the man from the plane. 

Passenger Nichola Pierre said: ‘I was on board this flight and these guys were drinking and giving jokes with each other before this occurred.

‘One man got stabbed in the torso and the other guy in the back of the head before another gentleman and myself were able to calm down this guy who purchased a duty free wine bottle which he used to commit the act.

‘Thankfully, the escalated situation was dealt with swiftly and normalcy was maintained.’

Another source told The Sun: ‘It was a truly frightening experience for the crowded passengers. There was a lot of understandable upset.

‘The men were arguing throughout the flight after take-off from Gatwick airport.

‘The row turned into pushing and shoving then things suddenly got really nasty.

The unarmed passenger received a considerable gash, and blood was splattered across the cabin

The frightened passengers watched on as blood sprayed throughout the plane

‘It was horrifying when the passenger broke the bottle then used the shards as a weapon.

‘Suddenly there was blood in the cabin. No one knew how gruesome it was going to get. It could have been so much worse.’

The cabin crew were finally able to get everything under control and with the help of the pilot alerted Saint Lucia officials before the plane landed.

A spokesman for St Lucia police said the matter was under investigation, adding: ‘We are looking into this with immediate effect. This is a very serious matter which occurred on a plane. This is very serious indeed.’

The identities of the passengers involved have not yet been released. 

A British Airways representative said: ‘We’re shocked that anyone would act in this way and are grateful to our highly trained cabin crew and the customers who supported them in handling this difficult incident. 

‘We want to assure customers that this behaviour will never be tolerated and we will always take the appropriate action.’

BA has been contacted for comment. 

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