Actually, two police officers from Lower Austria just wanted to go on vacation, but an incident occurred on the flight from Frankfurt to Vancouver. A so-called “unruly PAX” threatened passengers and cabin crew. After consulting the captain, the two officers intervened through the crew.
The two law enforcement officers of the State Police Department of Lower Austria wanted to spend their vacation in Canada as a couple, but there was a complicated situation on board around two hours after the start in Frankfurt am Main. The police officers held covert consultation with the pilot and his crew and finally overwhelmed the man with operational techniques that have been tried and tested by the Austrian Federal Police. The so-called "Disruptive Passenger" was fixed and monitored by technical means. After landing in Vancouver, the man was handed over to the Canadian authorities. The intervention took place in coordination with the responsible security authorities in Canada and Germany.
“Every disruptive passenger can seriously endanger the safety of a flight. I am proud of our two servants - their intervention was courageous, intelligent and courageous, ”says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). "This intervention shows once again how professional and committed the police officers are in Austria, even when they are off duty and on vacation."
The Austrian Air Marshal Service, which is provided by officers from the Cobra commando, also praised the intervention of the two police officers. Safety is the top priority in aviation, which is why overpowering the man was the right decision, according to a senior officer at EKO Cobra.