‘Unruly’ Delta passenger, 23, who tried to open exit door mid-air is marched off flight after forcing emergency landing

A PLANE passenger allegedly tried to open one of the aircraft’s doors before being hauled off the jet. 

Mario Nikprelaj, 23, is accused of scuffling with a flight attendant and reportedly clashed with other travelers on the plane.

Chaos unfolded before the SkyWest plane, operated for Delta, departed Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday.

Nikprelaj reportedly had to be told to stay in his seat, as reported by the ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV.

The plane was heading to Detroit but around 20 minutes into the 650-mile flight, a fellow traveler tried to catch a cabin crew member’s attention, by saying: “He’s trying to open the door.”

Jonathan Spencer Van Der Waarden, who was also on the plane, claimed the unruly passenger took off his shirt and shoes.

He then claimed Nikprelaj tried to get into the plane’s cockpit.

Nikprelaj allegedly shoved passengers who were trying to block him, according to Van Der Waarden.

There were 67 passengers and four crew members on board the plane.

“Don’t know what he was going to do, but certainly wasn’t going to let him get any closer than he was,” Van Der Waarden said.

The plane made an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Footage showed Nikprelaj being escorted off the plane, a CRJ-900, by cops.

The Bombardier CRJ-900 can reach cruising speeds of 515mph and is powered by two turbofan engines.

A CRJ-900 plane flipped onto its roof at Toronto Pearson airport in February, leaving 21 injured.

SkyWest bosses condemned the passenger’s behavior.

“SkyWest has zero tolerance for unruly behavior as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority,” a representative said.

Nikprelaj faces a slew of charges, including assault and disorderly conduct.

Cops also found 41 pills of Xanax on Nikprelaj when they searched him. 

He was hit with two drug charges as a result.

Nikprelaj appeared in court on Friday and a judge set his bond at $10,000.

This year, Federal Aviation Administration bosses have received 871 reports of unruly passengers.

There were more than 2,100 reports of unruly incidents in 2024 – a 1% rise on 2023’s figure.

In 2021, a total of 5,973 reports were received, according to the FAA.

This is the largest number over the last eight years. 

In 2023, FAA bosses issued around $7.5 million in fines. 

Meanwhile, The U.S. Sun reported how Allegiant Air traveler Taj Taylor was hauled off a flight after claiming he was carrying explosives.

He reportedly told one traveler his laptop was a bomb.

In May, a packed Hawaiian Airlines plane was evacuated after a bomb threat was reported.

The plane was moved into another location on the airfield at San Diego International airport, and it was searched by K-9 teams.