A passenger was thrown off a plane in Jakarta, Indonesia, for allegedly smoking on the tarmac as the aircraft was refueling.
Security staff stormed aboard the Citilink flight seconds before takeoff on February 25 at around 9:30 pm.
Policemen were filmed grappling with man in his seat as he protested. When he asked if he will be put on a different plane, the officers told him, “We will talk about that outside.”
The officers then dragged him away down the aisle and off the Airbus A320.
The relieved passengers were then able to continue their journey to Bali.
Passenger Manuel Buchacher from Austria said he saw the man smoking before take off. He added: “It's a hard lesson for him to learn and follow the rule.”
Citilink spokesman Benny Butar Butar said, “The incident happened at approximately 9:30 pm at Halim. The passenger got out of the boarding gate and was walking towards the stairs to the plane. He was seen smoking until he got on the stairs to the plane. Other passengers witnessed this and reported it, so airport security officers as well as military police officers stationed at the airport immediately took action. This happened while the plane was refueling and the man was close to the engine, which caused serious danger to the safety of the flight. In the aviation industry, we should be able to ensure that none of the safety rules are violated so flight operations can run safely, smoothly and comfortably.”
