Turkish Airlines flight diverts after violent altercation between cabin crew and off-duty Batik Air pilot

On 11 October, Turkish Airlines operated flight TK56 between Istanbul, Turkey, and Jakarta, Indonesia, when the crew of the Boeing 777-300ER (registered TC-LJG) was forced to divert to Medan, Indonesia. A passenger, returning from a holiday in Turkey, was involved in a violent altercation with the cabin crew.

Other passengers beat the passenger up quite heavily, forcing the crew to divert. The passenger has been identified as a 48-year-old pilot working for Batik Air (Indonesia).

According to a statement issued by the violent pilot, the dispute was caused by a dog in the cabin and not by alcohol, as witnesses claimed.

A colleague who asked to remain anonymous was not surprised by his actions on the Turkish Airlines flight. Other colleagues said the pilot is known for forcing his religious beliefs onto other crew and being problematic with the junior crew and described him as dangerous. They said the pilot had caused flight delays in the past because he refused to fly with a co-pilot who didn’t share his religious beliefs.

Finally, the flight could continue to Jakarta, where it landed with a delay of over two hours.