A passenger on board a Christmas-day Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam attempted to set off firecrackers inside the plane as it was landing at the Wayne County International Airport in Detroit, said the airlines on Friday.
A spokeswoman for Delta Airlines, the parent company of Northwest, said that one of the passengers on board the flight caused "a disturbance" by trying to ignite what is believed to be firecrackers "as the plane was getting ready to land" in Detroit.
Susan Elliott, the Delta Airlines spokeswoman, said that the passenger involved in the incident was "immediately subdued," and is currently being questioned at the airport by concerned authorities. She said there were 278 passengers on board the flight when the incident happened, adding that the airline is fully co-operating with the investigating authorities.
It, however, not clear whether the man responsible for the incident was subdued by the crew or other co-passengers, and also how the fireworks were allowed on board the aircraft. Meanwhile, several reports suggested that the man involved in the incident is a Nigerian.
Despite the incident, Northwest Flight 253 landed safely in Detroit around noon on Friday. It is understood that two others on board the Airbus 330 were injured after the passenger's irresponsible actions caused panic inside the aircraft.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.