What began as an uncomfortable situation on a Melbourne–Doha flight reportedly turned into a terrifying mid-air struggle.

Passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight VA7 described how two men became increasingly agitated after boarding, repeatedly leaving their seats, moving around the cabin and searching through their luggage.

About six hours before landing, the situation reportedly exploded.

The men allegedly became abusive, fought with others, physically lashed out at crew members and claimed they had a gun. One passenger said they were screaming about wanting to hurt and shoot people.

Witnesses also described disturbing scenes of the men allegedly headbutting and spitting at flight attendants.

With the aircraft still hours from Doha, crew members and passengers reportedly had to physically restrain both men. Each allegedly required six or seven people to hold them down, with one witness claiming the pair remained restrained for around 10 hours.

One passenger, a 63-year-old woman, reportedly used the aircraft’s Wi-Fi to message relatives during the ordeal. She praised a fellow passenger named James, who jumped across to help restrain one of the men when the situation escalated.

After landing in Doha, police boarded the aircraft and arrested both men — reportedly prompting applause from passengers.

Qatar Airways confirmed that two male passengers had been involved in a physical altercation and said both were restrained and handed over to local authorities.

For everyone onboard, what should have been a routine international flight became a frightening reminder of how quickly a disturbance at 35,000 feet can turn into a serious emergency.