A Muslim passenger was removed from a flight in the United States after a prayer alarm on his phone went off on March 6. The Southwest Airlines flight, which was headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was diverted to Georgia following the incident.
The airline later said the diversion occurred due to a “misunderstanding”.
According to NBC News, the Federal Aviation Administration said Southwest Airlines Flight 2094 departed from Nashville and was bound for South Florida when it was forced to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport following a disturbance on board.
Videos shared online showed several passengers sitting with their hands raised while police escorted the passenger off the aircraft. The passenger had set an alarm for prayer as it is the month of Ramzan.
Following an investigation, the FBI said the passenger posed no threat and that no charges would be filed against him.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said the crew decided to divert the flight “out of an abundance of caution” due to what later turned out to be a misunderstanding of a passenger’s behaviour.
“We sincerely apologise to our customers for the misunderstanding and the significant delay. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers,” the airline said.
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