Representational image (Associated Press)
A 40-year-old British national is facing trial in the UAE for threatening an Indian air hostess on an Emirates airlines flight and verbally abusing her after she refused to give him alcohol.
The man hurled meals at onboard passengers and smoked inside the toilet, sparking fire alarms during a flight from London to Dubai on June 2, prosecutors told Judge Fahd Rashid Al Shamsi.
"I was on duty during the London flight to Dubai," the 30-year-old air hostess told prosecutors.
"The suspect kept asking for alcohol. When we served lunch, he started throwing food on the floor and eating off of it. I asked him to remain civil as I cleaned up the mess. But
he started tugging at my shirt, yelling profanities. He also threatened to punch me," the air hostess was quoted by Gulf News as saying.
Records show the suspect then went to the washroom and lit a cigarette which triggered an alarm.
"When the passengers panicked hearing the alarm, the suspect started throwing food at them. He also threatened to wreck the plane."