Chaos Aboard A Lufthansa Airbus A380 Flight

A Lufthansa Airbus A380 flying from San Francisco through to Munich has been forced to divert to Boston after chaos broke out between two passengers mid-flight.

What is described as a violent altercation saw two seatmates break out in violence and prompted the crew to declare that there was an onboard threat worthy enough for the journey not to be safe to continue, and thus caused the diversion.

A Transatlantic Flight Takes A Turn

Lufthansa flight LH459 was operating what was meant to be a routine service between San Francisco and Munich when, just after midnight on Thursday, with more than 500 people aboard, the aircraft was forced to divert.

During the cruise stages and around eight hours into the flight, a female passenger allegedly attacked another traveller, which was enough to cause a disturbance of great significance aboard the flight.

According to the German media, and then supported by the Massachusetts State Police, the woman became increasingly more aggressive. She was then restrained by the crew and other passengers, an act that saw her handcuffed to her seat.

That handcuffing persisted until the aircraft arrived in Boston, with pilots deciding to divert, turn sharply off the North Atlantic track, and reroute to Boston Logan International Airport for an unexpected stopover.

Lufthansa Takes Passenger Off Flight

The Airbus A380 operating the flight with more than 500 aboard safely touched down at Boston Logan on Thursday morning. The aircraft was met at the gate by federal authorities and State police.

Lufthansa confirmed in a statement that the unruly passenger who posed a threat to the safe continuation of the flight was the reason the diversion was neccesary. That diversion came as the airline sought to put the safety of other passengers and its crew working on the flight first, as always.

The alleged attacker, once removed from the aircraft, was taken into custody, alongside baggage being offloaded, before the aircraft was then cleared again to continue onwards to Munich as it was intended before the disruption caused the diversion to occur.

Those passengers aboard the flight later said the response was controlled, measured, and professional, although tensions were high and those inside the cabin needed to be separated.