Mother-Daughter duo attacks Swiss Air staff during disagreement over pram storage

Two women from London are being tried at Uxbridge Magistrates Court for attacking a Swiss Air pilot. 53-year-old Mary Roberts of Fulham was flying with her 23-year-old daughter, Henrietta Mitaiare, and three-year-old granddaughter. The trio flew from Zurich to Heathrow Airport in London on May 2, 2019. After a disagreement over the storage of the child's buggy, Mitaiare attacked pilot Guido Keel. Roberts reportedly bit a member of the cabin crew before kicking Keel during the brawl. Both women have denied the assault charges against them.

Upon boarding the flight from Zurich, Mitaiare got into an argument with the cabin manager, Ali Chkerdaa, over the storage of the buggy. The flight was full so Chkerdaa informed Mitaiare that they had to put the pram in the hold. Chkerdaa told the court that Mitaiare stated the buggy was too expensive to be put in the hold. Eventually, after two women working as ground staff intervened, Mitaiare agreed to put the buggy away.

After the flight landed, Mitaiare was still agitated over the issue. She asked Chkerdaa to give the names of the women who were there at the airport in Zurich. Keel tried to defuse the situation by telling Mitaiare that she can file the complaint against him for not allowing the pram in the cabin.

Mitaiare took out her phone and claimed that she would live-stream the incident on Facebook. She also tried to insinuate that she was being racially discriminated against for being black. Mitaiare reportedly shoved the pilot into the cockpit before the argument turned physically violent.

Co-pilot Friedrich Preiler told the court that he was filing paperwork in the cockpit when Keel and Mitaiare barged in and started fighting on the floor. Preiler recalled that he saw the captain was bloodied with scratch marks on his neck and arms.

Seeing Mitaiare on the floor flighting with Keel, Roberts pushed past Chkerdaa into the cockpit. She proceeded to kick Keel. Daily Mail reported that Roberts bit Chkerdaa's finger when he and other airport staff tried to break up the fight. Eventually, police had to enter the aircraft and break up the fight.

Police sergeant Robert Cater told the court that Mitaiare admitted to attacking and biting Keel. In court, the women have denied the charges of assault. The trial is ongoing.