A wealthy entrepreneur and company director has been sentenced to prison after an explosive outburst on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
According to The New York Post, Salman Iftikhar, founder and director of recruitment firm Staffing Match, received a 15-month jail sentence on Tuesday for making violent threats against cabin crew during a February 2023 flight from London to Lahore, Pakistan.
The incident, which occurred in the first-class cabin while Iftikhar was traveling with his wife and three children, left one veteran flight attendant so traumatized that she was forced to take 14 months away from her job.
Champagne-Fueled Confrontation Quickly Escalated Into Threats
The troubling incident began during the flight's first meal service when Iftikhar had been drinking champagne at the plane's bar. He started grabbing ice with his bare hands from behind the counter, prompting staff to intervene.
When flight attendants confronted him about his behavior and instructed him to return to his seat, Iftikhar became hostile. He accused the crew of racism, falsely claiming they had used a racial slur against him in front of other passengers.
The 37-year-old businessman began filming the flight crew while continuing his belligerent behavior. Witnesses reported he was slurring his words and repeatedly asking if people knew who he was.
Victim Left "Broken" After Horrifying Threats of Violence
The most disturbing aspects of Iftikhar's outburst involved explicit threats directed at a female flight attendant. He called her a "f--king white Welsh c--t" during the confrontation.
Iftikhar terrified crew members by demonstrating knowledge of their hotel arrangements in Lahore. He specifically mentioned the Avari Lahore Hotel and threatened that floors would be "blown up."
The businessman told one flight attendant she would be "dragged by your hair from your room and gang-raped and set on fire." This horrific threat was part of a barrage of verbal abuse directed at the crew.
Devastating Impact On Veteran Flight Attendant
The targeted flight attendant had 37 years of experience with Virgin Atlantic before this incident. She described herself as previously "strong, brave, happy" in her victim impact statement.
"Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do," she stated in court. The traumatized employee needed 14 months away from work to recover from the incident.
"I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me," she added, highlighting the severe psychological impact of Iftikhar's threats.
