Furious Plane Passenger Sets Fire to His Own Luggage After Being Told Flight Was Canceled

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A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane on the runway on the way to Saudi Arabia in Islamabad on February 8, 2016. A passenger with the airline became so enraged with a flight cancelation that he... FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images

Passengers often get frustrated by airport delays but one man became so enraged last week that he set fire to the contents of his own luggage.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-607 flight was due to leave from Islamabad Airport for Gilgit on Thursday but its takeoff, scheduled for 7 a.m., was hampered by bad weather.

It was first delayed and then canceled, and for one passenger, this was the last straw. Footage of the incident, which has gone viral, shows the unnamed man venting his fury by igniting a piece of clothing from his bag, which he then uses to set a pile of his clothes alight.

A man is seen coming up to the passenger and trying to put out the blaze but this only further infuriates the thwarted passenger, who kicks the extinguisher away. A group of bystanders watch on in bemusement and smoke rises.

Before long, airport security appear to confront the man. The fire was eventually put out by Civil Aviation Authority firefighters.

A PIA spokesperson told Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn that passengers were moved to hotels, where they waited for another flight the next day.

"No airline can risk flying a passenger plane in bad weather," the spokesperson said.

"PIA has opted to forgive and forget the incident that happened at Islamabad International Airport on November 15."

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