By Shreya Bhatia, Ahlan!
A passenger travelling from Beirut to Dubai claims that he was assaulted by another passenger over a seat dispute, according to The National.
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27-year-old Ahmad Barghouthy got into a heated argument with another passenger after he was asked to put his seat upright before take-off. “I had put my seat down before the flight took off when I was asked by the man behind to put it up,” he said. “I said that I will do so once the seat belt sign comes on.”
“Once the sign came on, I positioned my seat upright. Once we were in the air I put my chair back down and slept through the four-hour flight only to wake up to the same man shouting at me.”
Ahmad, who lives in the UAE, said he was assaulted by the other passenger and suffered bruises to his face and arms. He said: “I left the plane and went to the police station, where I was requested to get a medical report before filing a case, because Emirates did not report the altercation.”
“I filed the case, only to find out it had to be closed because the man, although identified, was already out of the country. Emirates cabin crew should have called the police and not let him leave.”
According to The National, Emirates authorities confirmed that they responded to an altercation between two passengers upon the arrival of the plane, EK 956, on August 23, but action could not be taken as the passenger involved had already departed the aircraft.
A spokesperson commented on the incident saying: “Cabin crew acted swiftly and pro-actively offered support to the other passenger who made the claim, and asked if he required them to call security. The passenger declined support and departed the aircraft. The safety of passengers is of paramount importance and will not be compromised.”