A passenger on a domestic flight in Mexico on Sunday tried to divert an aircraft to the US by force, Volaris airlines said in a statement on social media.
The crew managed to detain the passenger, and all those aboard the Airbus A320 that had departed from León, Guanajuato, are safe, according to the company, which is one of the country’s main airlines.
The plane was diverted to Guadalajara in central Mexico, where the person – identified only as Mario – was handed over to authorities.
Other passengers later continued to their destination of Tijuana – on the border with the US and about an hour away from San Diego by car.
Volaris called on the passenger at the center of Sunday’s attempted hijacking to face the full weight of the law.
A statement from Mexico’s secretariat of civilian protection alleged that the passenger “assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to enter the cockpit to divert the flight”.
However, crew members were able to subdue the man – who was reportedly traveling with family – and issued an alert to conduct an emergency landing in Guadalajara.
A report from the flight operator said: “The aggressor told them a close relative had been kidnapped and, upon taking off from León, was threatened to be killed if he went to Tijuana.”
Guanajuato is one of the states hit hardest by drug cartel violence, which has grown to include crimes including extortion and kidnapping.
The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed reporting
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