A man was taken into custody Friday night in Atlanta, Ga., after he threatened to stab people aboard a Frontier Airlines flight, according to multiple reports.
Tim Turner, a spokesman for the Atlanta airport, said that the male passenger taken into custody had been threatening to stab passengers and crew members on the airplane, per The New York Times. Authorities found a forbidden boxcutter on the man after he was in custody, said Turner.
Although Frontier Airlines Flight 1761 was flying from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Tampa, Fla., the plane was made an emergency landing in Atlanta due to the incident, said spokesperson Jennifer De La Cruz in statements provided to CNN and The New York Times.
“The aircraft landed safely in Atlanta and the passenger in question was taken into custody by Atlanta law enforcement,” De La Cruz said. None of the other passengers were injured.
Boxcutters have been prohibited on airline flights since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They are allowed in checked bags.
“Any sharp objects in checked bags should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors,” according to the Transportation Security Administration.
“All passengers have deplaned and were being provided with overnight hotel accommodations in Atlanta,” said the outlet. “A new flight has been scheduled for Saturday morning to take the passengers from Atlanta to their final destination of Tampa.”
CNN and The New York Times both reached out to other agencies involved for more details.
After COVID-19 travel restrictions eased, the Federal Aviation Administration reported a massive uptick in unruly passenger reports on flights. While there had not been more than 400 unruly passenger investigations annually since 1995, more than 1,000 were conducted last year and there have already been more than 700 in 2022.
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