After a group of passengers allegedly attempted to enter the flight deck to talk with the captain, an armed air marshal on board a private Jordanian charter flight brandished his gun at them.
Although the event is thought to have taken place a few months ago, a video of the altercation has only recently come to light and is already going viral. The incident did not result in any injuries, but the exact details of what happened are still unknown.
What is known is that the incident took place on board a private charter flight operated by Jordan Aviation, which was flying from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria as part of an Umrah pilgrimage package.
Several reports claim that the plane was compelled to make a detour from its course toward Nigeria and land in a different place. The passengers then requested to speak with the captain of the plane, but an air marshal barred them from doing so by brandishing a firearm in their direction.
Un Marshall de la #Royalairjordanian protège le cockpit en pleine dispute avec des Nigérians…😳
Je me demande bien quelles sont les circonstances pour en venir à sortir une arme en cabine ..🤔
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.#aviation #aviationdaily #aviationphotographyVidéo de Aviaconvenezolana (IG) pic.twitter.com/UFN45ctIO2
— GINIE SGY ✈️ (@GINIEJET11) June 16, 2022
The majority of Jordanian airlines routinely deploy an armed air marshal on foreign flights. Even though it acknowledges that using armed guards for safety is “risky” and “expensive” given the constant worry about a gunfight in midair, flag carrier Royal Jordanian has employed air marshals since 1970 and keeps pocketing the cost.
After the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine kidnapped four aircraft from now-defunct airlines Pan Am, TWA, and Swissair on September 6, 1970, and a fifth BOAC aircraft three days later, Jordan was persuaded to begin utilizing air marshals more than 40 years ago.
The TWA, Swissair, and BOAC jets were forced to make a detour to a Jordanian airstrip, where they were kept for six days before being attacked by armed forces and destroyed.
Jordan Aviation stated the event happened “a few months ago” in a statement published on its Twitter account.
“Passengers tried to reach the cockpit to talk to the flight captain, which is prohibited by law, as the security men of the Security and Protection Unit accompanying the flight prevented him from reaching the cockpit,” the statement continued.
The airline has threatened to prosecute anyone who spreads false rumors about the incident.
Photo cover via Twitter by: @GINIEJET11
