PHOENIX- A physical altercation (fight) forced a Southwest Airlines (WN) aircraft to turn back to Phoenix (PHX) during its flight to Columbus (CMH), Ohio, on December 23, 2024.

The incident occurred shortly after the flight WN1699 took off from Sky Harbor Airport around 7 p.m. It was also operated by a Boeing 737-700 with registration number N441WN.

Southwest Airlines Phoenix Flight Brawl

Southwest Airlines confirmed the unscheduled landing and said they made a U-turn to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport due to a disturbance between passengers. The airline has begun organizing alternative travel arrangements for affected customers.

Phoenix police arrived at the gate to investigate the situation around 9 p.m. Both passengers involved refused to cooperate with law enforcement during their investigation. Officials removed a passenger from the flight before the second departure attempt.

Police documented the incident but made no arrests. The reason for the altercation remains unknown as investigators continue to gather details. After the delay, the flight finally resumed its journey to Columbus.

The disruption affected dozens of passengers who faced unexpected delays in their travel plans during the busy holiday season. Southwest Airlines apologized to all customers affected by the incident.

Similar incidents

Disruptive passengers forced emergency procedures on two separate flights in December, affecting operations at both JetBlue (B6) and Spirit Airlines (NK).

On December 11, JetBlue Flight 209 made an unscheduled landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after passenger disruptions.

The Airbus A320, which took off from New York’s JFK Airport to Santo Domingo, landed at 9:40 a.m. The flight was diverted from its Caribbean destination, impacting passengers’ travel plans during the peak holiday season.

The following day, Spirit Airlines experienced a similar disruption when Flight 1317 never left Pittsburgh International Airport. The Airbus A321 flying to Tampa stopped on the tarmac at 9:50 a.m. because passengers were behaving erratically.

Crew members evacuated all passengers, who then took buses back to the terminal building.

Featured image by Clément Alloing | Flickr

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