Drunk passenger with knife on easyJet flight from Iceland prompts police call at Milan

What happened on the flight

On Thursday, 5 November, easyJet flight U23970 left Keflavík International Airport in Iceland for Milan Malpensa Airport. According to La Repubblica, a passenger who appeared drunk was shouting while holding a knife. Reports differ on the blade: in.gr and NewsIT, both citing La Repubblica, describe a kitchen knife, while the Italian outlet Open calls it a table knife. The man's behaviour alarmed the crew and other travellers, but none of the reports says he tried to use the knife to threaten or attack anyone. NewsIT also says it remains unclear how he got on board with the knife.

How the crew handled it

Shortly before landing, the pilots informed air traffic control about the situation and asked for police to be present when the aircraft arrived. Open, citing the aviation portal AirLive, reports that the pilots classed the episode as a 'level 1' disturbance and that air traffic control asked whether police were needed on arrival. The crew kept the situation under control for the rest of the flight, which ended normally. The aircraft landed at Malpensa, where police were waiting, and Italian authorities had been alerted in advance to be at the airport.

Injuries, disruption and open questions

No injuries were reported, and the articles say airport operations were not affected. None of the reports gives the man's name or age, and none says whether he was detained after landing. Open reports that police waited for him on his arrival in Italy, but it does not say what followed. Because the Greek and Italian accounts describe the knife differently, its exact description remains unconfirmed. The circumstances of the boarding, which NewsIT flags as still to be clarified, also remain open.

easyJet's response

easyJet confirmed the incident to La Repubblica and said it does not tolerate this kind of behaviour on its aircraft. In its statement, the airline said its cabin crew is trained to assess every situation and to step in promptly and appropriately to protect the safety of the flight. It also said the safety of passengers and crew is always its absolute priority. NewsIT reports that the carrier wanted to restate its strict stance against such unacceptable conduct.