THIS was the moment passengers restrained a "drunk" doctor to stop him opening the emergency exit at 33,000ft on a packed jet.

Russian anaesthetist Vadim Bondar was overpowered by male passengers after causing terror on the Aeroflot flight from Bangkok to Moscow.

7 Doctor Vadim Bondar was overpowered by passengers after he 'tried to open the emergency exit' Credit: East2west News

7 They strapped him to a seat where he remained for four hours Credit: East2west News

They tied him with a belt, and he remained restrained for four hours before the aircraft landed safely in Moscow.

The 43 year old “foul-mouthed and violent” medic had been drinking rum on the ten hour flight even though the airline bans alcohol in economy class on this route, said witnesses.

RESTRAINED

According to local media, the "extremely aggressive" doctor was "seeking to open the emergency exit".

One passenger said: “He had two bottles of alcohol on him and at some point tried to open an emergency exit.

“The crew and fellow passengers tried to calm him down, but he kept screaming and yelling.

“He cried when his arms and hands were bound.

SOBBING

“He kept sobbing and saying 'My hands are tied, I can't breathe.”

Aeroflot spokeswoman Vera Abanina said: “The economy class passenger while quite obviously drunk was rudely violating public order.

“He was extremely aggressive, threatening and humiliating the flight attendants.

“He screamed and did everything to create maximum discomfort to other flight passengers.

"Two bottles of alcohol were found and confiscated from the passenger.

“He did not react to verbal and written warnings from the crew.

“Other passengers and the crew acted together and fixed the rule breaker in a seat using whatever means they managed to find until the end of the flight.”

He was extremely aggressive, threatening and humiliating the flight attendants.“He screamed and did everything to create maximum discomfort to other flight passengers Aeroflot spokeswoman

The “air hooligan” was handed to police on arrival in Moscow and underwent a medical check.

A decision will be made on any charges.

Russia’s top criminal investigator Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, personally intervened to demand a full probe into what happened on the flight.

Dr Bondar admitted he did drink rum but “only to pass the time while the plane was going through turbulence”.

He later told journalists: “Perhaps I asked the flight attendants too often for water. I was told to return to my seat in a rude manner.”

He later apologised to passengers for "causing inconvenience".

He also told a Russian TV channel: “First of all, there were no demands for hijacking anything.

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“The belt was pushing into my jugular vein and larynx which made breathing very hard.”

He also claimed an "unknown medication" was injected into him and that a large cash sum - around £1,000 - was missing from his hand luggage after the plane landed.

He said he would talk to lawyers about his treatment on the flight.

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