Passenger attempted to divert Mexican plane into the U.S., says he was under threat from criminals
A passenger on a domestic flight in Mexico attempted to divert the plane into the United States before he was stopped by the crew, the airline said on social media on Sunday.
Law enforcement said late Sunday night that the man claimed to have been under threat by criminals who had kidnapped one of his relatives.
Volaris said in a statement that the incident took place on flight 3041 from El Bajio in Guanajuato state near the border city of Tijuana on Sunday. The crew on board the flight managed to detain the passenger before the plane was diverted to Guadalajara in central Mexico.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show the man lunging toward one of the doors on the plane before other passengers wrestled him.
Once the plane arrived in Guadalajara, the passenger was handed over to authorities.
"Airline personnel said the aggressor said a close relative of his had been kidnapped, and at the moment the flight lifted off from Leon, he had received a death threat if he traveled to Tijuana," Mexico's Public Safety Department said in a statement.
The rest of the passengers and crew later continued to their destination in Tijuana on the border with the U.S.
"Volaris regrets the inconvenience that this situation caused," the airline said in the statement on X. "For Volaris, the safety of our passengers and crews is the highest priority."
Authorities only identified the man by his first name – Mario – and age, 31. They said he was traveling with his wife and two children.
The airline said it has become a plaintiff to ensure that the passenger faces the full weight of the law.
Attempts to divert or hijack planes have been extremely rare in Mexico, the Associated Press reported. In 2009, a Bolivian religious fanatic briefly hijacked a jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun as it landed in Mexico City. All passengers and the crew were released unharmed.
