A disturbed Virgin Atlantic passenger who threatened to rape his stewardess and set her on fire was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
In Feb. 2023, Salman Iftikhar, 37, went into a disgusting tirade against flight attendant Angie Walsh mid-flight in front of his wife and three children. The wealthy businessman was seated in first class on a flight from London to Lahore when he began downing champagne and verbally attacking Walsh with vicious threats.
The flight crew had told him to stop helping himself to ice from the onboard bar when he started throwing a temper tantrum. He called Walsh a “f–king b—h” several times and told her she would be dragged out of her hotel room, gang raped, and set on fire.
He said that Walsh had called him an ethnic slur, typically directed at individuals of South Asian descent.
Here’s wealthy recruitment consultant Salman Iftikhar hurling death threats and racist abuse after champagne binge on an eight hour first class flight. His wife and three children were on the plane with him. https://t.co/NDjJgByo9C pic.twitter.com/ajzkx68YrC
— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) August 5, 2025
As Iftikhar’s rage grew, his children began crying and begging him to stop. He continued to spew death threats at the cabin crew, telling them that he would blow up the floor of the hotel they were due to stay. He not only knew the specific hotel but their individual hotel room numbers.
“You will be dead on the floor of your hotel,” he told Walsh.
He then told her she would be “dragged” by her hair from her room and “gang raped and set on fire.”
Walsh said that the experience left her “broken” and “traumatized.” Upon landing, she had to stay at the same hotel overnight and could not sleep.
After the terrifying incident, she had to take 14 months off work.
Iftikhar was arrested home on March 16, 2024, almost a year after the horrific incident. He pled guilty to his drunken outburst and was sent to jail for 15 months. He has six previous convictions from 15 offenses, including common assault and drunk driving.
During the flight, Iftikhar’s eruption was so intense that the cabin crew discussed a diversion to Turkey.
It all begin after Iftikhar started binging champagne on the flight. He then started helping himself to ice and grabbing it with his hands. When he was told to stop, he began filming the cabin crew, screaming: “Do not tell me what to do you b—h.”
He was then told to sit down.
“Don’t tell me what to do you racist f—ing b—h,“ he replied. ”I know where you are from in Cardiff.”
The pilot was informed of the situation and turned the seat belt lights on.
“Look at this b—h having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f— is this b—- doing?” he screamed, slurring his words.
When he was told they might land in Turkey, he snapped: “I don’t care. F— it, go to Turkey. I have contacts.”
He also shouted: “Do you know who I am?”
When his wife approached the cabin crew in an attempt to talk to them, Iftikhar forcefully pushed her away and screamed at her not to talk to them. He then threatened to fight the cabin crew.
He even grabbed Walsh’s hand and squeezed it before calling her a “F—ing white Welsh c—.”
Iftikhar’s lawyer said that he was suffering from “amnesia blood loss” during the incident.
“He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years,” he added.
Walsh has finally returned to work.
“I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I’ve even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me,” Walsh said. “I don’t feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack.”
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