Passenger Threat Forces Delta Flight to Return to Boston

Passenger Threat Forces Delta Flight to Return to Boston

BY GEORGE MWANGI Published on August 02, 2023 0 COMMENTS

On July 30, a Delta Air Lines flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) returned to Boston after a passenger threatened the flight's safety. Delta flight DL 5770 departed Boston at 5:29 p.m. local time and returned to the same airport at 6:42 p.m. to "facilitate the removal of a passenger", according to a representative from Republic Airways, which operates this specific route.

 

 

The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said the following in a statement: "Delta Airlines Flight 5770, Boston to Newark, returned to Logan Airport this afternoon after an anonymous third party caller reported to a New Jersey policy agency that a passenger aboard the plane had allegedly made threats related to the safety of the flight."

 

Photo: Peter Cuthbert | AeroXplorer

 

In addition, MSP spokesperson Dave Procopio said: "Massport Fire and Massachusetts State Police were waiting when the plane landed and Troopers escorted the male passenger off the airline. The passenger's two carry-on bags were searched by members of the MSP Bomb Squad and explosive ordinance detection dogs. No hazards were located. The passenger had no checked luggage."

 

A male passenger was escorted off the Delta flight by state troopers once it returned to Boston.

 

 

The passenger's two carry-on bags were searched by the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and explosive ordinance detection dogs. After searching through his luggage, the authorities found no weapons or hazardous materials. The flight later departed for Newark at 9:43 p.m. local time with a different crew after the disruptive passenger was removed from the flight.

 

Photo: Jack Oliver | AeroXplorer

 

Officials later revealed that the situation was a hoax and that the disruptive passenger was not a threat. On July 31, they said that the passenger cooperated with the police and did not disrupt public safety.

 

 

It is currently unknown if the passenger will face any charges since the investigation is ongoing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a zero-tolerance policy on passengers that engage in threatening or violent behavior on flights, with these incidents leading to quick investigations by the FAA. There were 2,455 reports of incidents on domestic flights in 2022, representing a major decrease from 5,973 such incidents in 2021.

 AeroXplorer is on Telegram! Subscribe to the AeroXplorer Telegram Channel to receive aviation news updates as soon as they are released. View Channel 
George Mwangi
Aviation writer based in Washington, DC. Visited 21 countries on thousands of miles of flights.

Comments (0)

Add Your Comment

SHARE

TAGS

NEWS Delta Threat Republic Airways Embraer E175 Boston Massachusetts BOS

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

Portable Charger Catches Fire Mid-Flight, One Passenger Injured An Asiana Airlines Airbus A330 experienced an in-flight fire on Thursday while en-route to Hong Kong. NEWS READ MORE »
British Airways Axes Hot Meals on Key Business Routes in New Cost-Cutting Drive British Airways (BA) has officially implemented a contentious new catering strategy for its Club Europe cabin. In what frequent flyers are labelling "Death by a Thousand Cuts," the flag carrier has removed its signature hot breakfast from eight of its most high-frequency routes NEWS READ MORE »
Emirates Expands Premium Economy to 84 Routes In an industry often defined by the binary choice between the utilitarian and the unreachable, Emirates has today, January 8, 2026, fundamentally redrawn the map of middle-market aviation. ROUTES READ MORE »


SHOP

$2999
NEW!AeroXplorer Aviation Sweater Use code AVGEEK for 10% off! BUY NOW

FOLLOW US ONLINE