MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Terrified passengers on an Air India Express flight out of Dubai gave their flight crew a round of applause after they subdued an Indian man who tried to open a door in midair, an Abu Dhabi paper reported on Wednesday.
Mohammed Ashraf, 28, began attacking crew members and fellow passengers when the plane, with more than 130 people on board, was en route from Dubai to the southern Indian city of Mangalore, The National said.
The incident began about 45 minute after the plane took off.
"He spoke in Hindi and asked the crew to open the door as he wanted to leave," Chellam Prasad, the airline's area manager in Mangalore, was quoted by the paper as saying.
"The crew showed great presence of mind and managed to get the man back into his seat," he said, adding "we have never faced anybody like this before."
According to The National, a storm of applause followed after the drama was over.
The Times of India reported that Ashraf was restrained in his seat but broke free twice during the flight and had to be restrained again by crew and passengers.
When the plane arrived in Mangalore, he was handed over to police, and has been charged over the incident and released on bail, The National said.
Airline authorities were quoted as saying Ashraf, from Puttur in India, was "deeply disturbed and stressed," but had not consumed any alcohol on the flight.
Officials said the reason for man's unusual behavior was not clear.
