A British Airways passenger reportedly stabbed another man with a broken bottle in a violent attack on board a flight from London Gatwick to St Lucia.
The fight broke out between two men during the eight-and-a-half-hour flight to Hewannora International Airport on Monday, leading flight attendants to reportedly restrain the attacker.
Eyewitnesses told how the fight began as a verbal row, before turning physical.
One man reportedly seized a glass bottle which he then smashed, before using it to stab the other man.
BA crew and members of the public are said to have intervened.
One passenger - said to be a St Lucian national - who tried to act as peacemaker reportedly sustained a cut that needed 12 stitches, according to St Lucia Times.
Images and footage of the incident appeared to show a wounded man with blood staining his white vest, and blood spattered on the inside of the aircraft.
One passenger told the Sun it was a “truly frightening experience” watching the situation escalate into something “really nasty”.
“It was horrifying when the passenger broke the bottle then used the shards as a weapon,” they told the news outlet.
“Witnessing that in such a confined space, and not knowing if or how the bloodshed was going to end, was horrific.
“Some very brave individuals separated the two men and got them back in their seats. It could have been so much worse.”
A British Airways spokesperson said: “We’re shocked that anyone would act in this way and are grateful to our highly trained cabin crew and the customers who supported them in handling this difficult incident.
“We want to assure customers that this behaviour will never be tolerated and we will always take the appropriate action.”
The incident is being investigated by police in St Lucia.
