Who Is Salman Iftikhar? Millionaire Who Threatened To 'Gang Rape' A Flight Attendant In Front Of His Family

A UK-based affluent businessman has become the focus of a criminal justice reckoning after a mid-air rampage in which he threatened to gang-rape and kill a flight attendant in front of his family on board a long-haul flight.

Background And Profile

Salman Iftikhar is a British-Pakistani businessman formerly based in Iver, Buckinghamshire. The 38-year-old co-founded a recruitment firm, Staffing Match, and lived with a wife and three children in the UK, while his public profile also indicated a second wife in Pakistan.

He is reported to have had multiple prior convictions, including common assault, drunk driving, and possession of cannabis, across some 15 offences.

According to official government sources, on 7 February 2023, he was travelling in first class from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, with his family when the incident occurred.

During the eight-hour flight, Iftikhar reportedly began consuming alcohol, helping himself to ice by hand from the in-flight bar, and refusing to return to his seat when instructed by cabin crew.

The situation escalated when he filmed the cabin crew, shouted racial abuse, and targeted senior stewardess Angie Walsh, accusing her of calling him a racial slur and then launching into threats. In one of the most chilling moments, he declared he would 'drag [her] by her hair from your room and gang-rape and set [her] on fire'. He further threatened to 'blow up the floor' of the hotel where the crew were due to stay in Lahore.

The cabin crew reportedly discussed diverting the aircraft to Turkey due to the severity of the threat. The entire episode unfolded in front of Iftikhar's wife and three children, reportedly reducing at least one child to tears.

Victim Impact and Airline Response

Angie Walsh, a veteran stewardess with 37 years of experience, described the event as career-shattering. 'Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do... But he has taken that away from me', she said in a victim impact statement.

She was forced out of work for 14 months following the incident.

Virgin Atlantic, the carrier on which the event occurred, issued a statement emphasizing the safety and security of crew as a top priority and reaffirming a zero-tolerance policy toward violent or abusive behaviour onboard.

Iftikhar was not arrested immediately upon landing in Lahore; instead, he was taken into custody in the UK on 16 March 2024 at his home in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

At Isleworth Crown Court on 5 August 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of threats to kill and one count of racially aggravated intentional harassment. He was initially sentenced to 15 months in prison.

However, the leniency of that sentence triggered a referral under the 'unduly lenient sentence' scheme. On 11 November 2025, his punishment was increased by the Court of Appeal to four years and three months in prison.

The Solicitor-General, Ellie Reeves MP, described Iftikhar's threats as 'horrific ... against an air steward who was simply doing her job' and affirmed that the escalation should bring solace to those impacted.

Financial and Social Standing

Reports suggest that Iftikhar's business collapsed under financial strain. According to news outlets, his firm had amassed debts in the region of £17 million (a$21 million) before the incident.

Although exact annual earnings were not publicly verified, he was described as a millionaire travelling first class with family on long-haul flights. His dual-marriage status, with a wife in Pakistan who is a social-media influencer and another in the UK, also attracted attention.

The case has triggered fresh debate in the UK over airline safety, cabin-crew protection, and the adequacy of sentencing for violent threats in airspace. The fact that the original sentence was significantly increased reflects both public outrage and a reassessment of what constitutes appropriate punishment for attacks on flight staff.

Salman Iftikhar's case illustrates how wealth and power can momentarily shield individuals from consequences, but also how the justice system responds when those boundaries are crossed extremely.

The spectacle of a first-class passenger using alcohol, verbal abuse, and threats of rape, murder, and terrorism onboard a major international carrier cannot be dismissed as mere in-flight misbehaviour.