A man at the center of a horrific 2023 incident onboard Virgin Atlantic has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for his vile outburst against a cabin crew member on a flight to Pakistan.

Virgin Atlantic Passenger Jailed For Vile Threats Against Flight Attendant

Let’s first review what happened, then we’ll discuss the punishment handed down for his conduct:

• The incident took place on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Lahore (LHE) in February 2023.
• Salman Iftikhar was seated in Upper Class with one of his two wives and three children.
• After champagne service, Iftikhar went to the onboard bar, grabbed ice with his bare hands, and was asked by flight attendant Angie Walsh to return to his seat.
• He immediately became verbally aggressive toward Walsh, calling her a:
  • “racist f*cking b*tch”
  • “f*cking c*nt”
• He then threatened Walsh with extreme violence, including:
  • “I’ll have you gang raped in your hotel room.”
  • “I’ll set fire to you in your hotel room.”
• He also said that he would hunt her down in the UK
• Iftikhar accused Walsh of calling him a “Paki,” which she denied
• Even as his family cried and pleaded with him to sit down and shut up, he made threats to kill another crew member during the flight.
• Walsh, a 37-year Virgin veteran, was left shaken and later off work for 14 months due to trauma from the incident.
• Iftikhar was not arrested upon landing in Pakistan, but was later detained in the UK in March 2024.

This week, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his outburst.

But his “supermodel” wife Abeer Iftikhar continues makes excuses for him. Upon his sentencing, she posted the following message to her Instagram account:

“Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there’s pain you don’t see. Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human.”

No, dear. What happened was your loser husband is an entitled jerk who cannot handle alcohol and acted out on that entitlement in the worst possible way. Hopefully, however, his time in prison will help him to reflect that the world does not revolve around him and that it is never too late to start treating others the way you wish to be treated.

My heart goes out to Walsh…no flight attendant (or anyone for that matter) should have to endure such verbal abuse and threats. In addition to jail, I hope that Iftikhar is forced to pay Walsh a huge financial settlement.

CONCLUSION

What happened onboard that Virgin Atlantic flight was beyond the pale. Alcohol may have been a factor, but it does not excuse the stream of racist, misogynistic, and violent threats hurled at Angie Walsh. I hope Walsh continues to recover from this trauma and finds some measure of closure knowing her abuser is behind bars. Let’s also hope this serves as a warning: abuse a flight attendant, and you will face real consequences.