Drunken Brit, 28, is arrested at Alicante airport after arguing on board with crew and passengers and ‘trying to open plane door in mid-air’ because he ‘wanted to get off faster’
- This story is breaking, more to come
A drunken British man has been arrested at a Spanish airport after he was drunk on board and tried to open the door mid-flight.
Spanish police were waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez airport and arrested the 28-year-old man, who was said to have been so drunk he did not realize the plane was still in the air. .
Passengers helped the crew restrain him during an altercation in which he reportedly became aggressive and compromised the safety of the flight.
The incident happened on Thursday on board an Easyjet flight that had left Gatwick airport for Alicante-Elche in Spain, according to Spanish newspaper Informacion.es
The Brit had already disturbed the other passengers with his drunken behavior.
(File image of Alicante coastline) A drunken British man has been arrested at Alicante airport after being drunk on board and trying to open the door mid-flight
As the plane neared its destination, the man tried to open a door to “get out faster” after not realizing the plane had not yet landed.
This resulted in the pilot having to call the control tower to request the presence of the Guardia Civil upon landing, Informacion.es reported.
‘Apparently the traveler boarded the plane already drunk, but his condition worsened during the flight as the altitude enhances the effects of alcohol. At one point he got into a fight with other travelers, whom he attacked after insulting and provoking them. When the company’s onboard personnel intervened, he tried to hit them too,” Informacion.es said
‘And not only that. In the middle of a fight, he tried to open the plane door to disembark, unaware that they were in mid-flight, and then tried to enter the cabin. Finally, the passenger helped the crew immobilize him and as soon as the plane landed in El Altet, the Guardia Civil came in and detained him.”
According to the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency, the London-Alicante flight route has the second highest number of in-flight incidents. Last year alone there were 184 complaints.
Intoxicated Brits are said to be responsible for the majority of these episodes.
More to follow.