The Khabarovsk Railway Court sentenced the air hooligan on the Aurora Airlines flight to four years and six months of suspended imprisonment.
As the carrier's press service told TRN, the incident occurred on August 8, 2018, during flight SU 5640. Aurora Airlines, part of the Aeroflot Group, on the Khabarovsk-Krasnoyarsk route.
During the trial, the court found that one of the passengers, while intoxicated, grossly disturbed the peace during boarding, resisted crew members attempting to restrain him, insulted other passengers, and used physical force against them, posing a threat to the safety of passengers and crew. As a result, Aurora's flight was delayed by 35 minutes, incurring additional costs to Aurora Airlines totaling over 41,000 rubles.
Immediately after landing, the man was handed over to the police, and was subsequently charged and taken into custody.
The unruly passenger was held in custody for six months. During the criminal trial, the arrest was replaced by a travel ban. The case was heard under a special procedure, taking into account the defendant's full admission of guilt on all charges (Articles 213, 316, and 116 of the Russian Criminal Code). At the final court hearing on February 25, 2019, the court announced the verdict. The state prosecutor requested a sentence of 5 years and 6 months in a general regime penal colony. Ultimately, the man was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison, with a suspended sentence of 4 years, and ordered to compensate the airline in full for the damages caused.
"The airline does not intend to allow any serious violation of onboard rules to go unpunished, as the lives of passengers and crew depend on their strict adherence," noted Aurora Airlines CEO Konstantin Sukhorebrik.
Source: trn-news.ru