Glasgow flight to Turkey is forced to make emergency landing after ‘drunken’ passenger who ‘refused to hand over his bottle of gin’ ‘abused staff’, sparking mid-air chaos
- Were YOU on the run? Email: olivia.christie@mailonline.co.uk
A flight from Glasgow to Turkey was forced to make an emergency landing after a ‘drunk passenger’ who ‘refused to hand over his bottle of gin’ caused chaos in the air.
The flight to Antalya took off at 5.15pm on Friday, but within 45 minutes the pilot had to make an unscheduled landing at Newcastle International Airport.
It happened after a passenger, who was reportedly drunk, allegedly assaulted a cabin crew member.
Police officers boarded the TUI TOM778 flight in Newcastle and removed him from the aircraft.
Footage shows the man being dragged off the plane as hundreds of frustrated passengers watch.
Were YOU on the run? Email: olivia.christie@mailonline.co.uk
A flight from Glasgow to Turkey had to make an emergency landing after a ‘drunk passenger’ who ‘refused to hand over his bottle of gin’ caused chaos in the air
Due to the delay, holidaymakers arrived at their destination more than five hours later than planned.
A passenger said: ‘They were seen drunk as they boarded the plane. He refused to hand over his own bottle of gin and became verbally abusive.”
‘It was announced 45 minutes after take-off that we had to divert due to unruly passengers.
‘It took another 45 minutes to arrive in Newcastle at around 7pm.’
‘Two police officers boarded the plane and handcuffed him, but he became upset so two more officers came on board.
‘His partner was also taken off the plane amid loud cheers, while giving everyone the middle finger.’
‘There were further delays in getting his bags out of the hold. The cabin crew was replaced due to the serious event and the excess of working hours.’
‘The aircraft was also refueled after excess material was burned to allow for a safe emergency landing.’
After waiting on the tarmac for five hours, the passenger added: ‘It was clearly upsetting for the children on board and frustrating for everyone. The captain then personally visited each passenger to answer questions.’
‘While a scenario crew was being prepared, information slowly emerged as to whether we would continue or disembark at Newcastle. They couldn’t let us off the plane because of border control issues.”
The flight to Antalya, Turkey, departed from Glasgow Airport at 5.15pm on Friday
‘It was very costly and disruptive for 200 people on board. TUI was very professional and appreciated everyone’s patience.’
After an ‘unexpected start’ to their holiday, the airline has reportedly offered each passenger a holiday voucher in compensation.
A TUI spokesperson said: ‘We would like to apologize to customers on TOM778 from Glasgow to Antalya who had to divert to Newcastle due to a disruptive passenger on board the flight.
‘Our aim is to ensure customers have the best flying experience possible, so this is not the way we wanted their holiday to start.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our first priority and unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated.
‘The customer involved was unloaded from the aircraft and the flight was able to continue its journey.
‘We have offered a gesture of goodwill to customers in light of this disruption to the start of their holidays and to thank them for their patience and understanding.’
The flight left Newcastle for Antalya last night, Friday 24 May, at 10.50pm.
MailOnline has also contacted Northumbria Police for comment.