GEORGETOWN, Guyana — An American Airlines flight from Miami to Guyana returned to the Florida airport yesterday after a passenger allegedly threatened flight attendants during take-off.

Flight 339 departed Miami International Airport shortly after 6 pm.

Minutes into the Boeing 737 MAX’s climb, a male passenger allegedly rushed towards flight attendants at the rear of the aircraft and told them,

“I will take care of you when we land in Guyana.” According to radio transmissions reported by CBS, a crew member alerted air traffic control to the incident.

“While we were climbing out, he rushed the flight attendants in the back of the aircraft,” the crew member said.

The pilot then turned the aircraft around and returned to Miami, where law enforcement officers met the plane on the tarmac.

Following an initial investigation, deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office described the incident as a “verbal dispute” and confirmed that “no assault was committed”.

The passenger was rebooked on a later flight, while the remaining travellers continued their journey after a delay of more than four hours.

The flight departed Miami at approximately 10:42 pm and arrived in Guyana at 2:55 am local time. American Airlines apologised for the disruption.