Off-duty pilot denies threat to down plane

DEFENDANT ALSO REFUTES CHARGES OF INSULTING, ASSAULTING AIR HOSTESS

An off-duty pilot challenged his one-year imprisonment and denied getting drunk, assaulting an air hostess and passengers and endangering their lives and a plane’s safety before the Appeal Court yesterday.

In November the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the 27-year-old Emirati defendant for a year after convicting him of getting drunk, cursing passengers and endangering their lives by threatening to have the Emirates flight downed by a missile.

The aircraft was flying from Madrid to Dubai last June when a Romanian air hostess encountered the offduty Emirati pilot, who was drunk and behaved in an unruly manner.

As the aircraft was about to depart from Madrid airport, the Emirati, who was a passenger, asked the hostess if smoking was allowed on the aircraft.

Shortly after being seated, the defendant insulted and assaulted the Romanian and grabbed two beers without the crew’s permission.

When crew members asked him to behave properly and to refrain from using foul language, the defendant became rude to a passenger.

Then crew members restrained him with plastic handcuffs.

Upon being restrained in his seat, the 27-year-old became even more aggressive and shouted that he would have his Iraqi friend down the plane with a missile over Baghdad.

Violent behaviour

He also struck his head repeatedly against the TV screen in front of him destroying it, and damaged a window before threatening to follow the Romanian to her house and kill her.

The defendant, who had pleaded guilty before the primary court, pleaded not guilty before the Appeal Court.

He refuted all his accusations as he appeared before presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif in courtroom 20 yesterday.

He repeatedly said “no” when charges were levelled against him.

A ruling will be heard on December 16.