Lorraine Williamson
A recent incident on an EasyJet flight highlights growing concerns about anti-social behaviour on flights. On Thursday morning, an EasyJet flight (EZY2027) from Manchester to Ibiza was forced to make an emergency landing at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport due to a disruptive passenger.
The British man, described as “off his face” at 5:40 am, was reportedly swearing, threatening other passengers, and causing significant disturbance on board.
Incident details
The unruly passenger, dressed in shorts and a hoodie, was removed from the flight in Paris and handed to police. According to witnesses, the man was unresponsive to attempts by the flight attendants to calm him down. This prompted other passengers to intervene. One eyewitness told The Sun newpaper, “He just started kicking off in mid-air on his own. He was literally just off his face. The air hostess couldn’t calm him down so the other passengers started shouting at him to calm down. He was just swearing at everyone and pointing his finger at people threateningly, offering everyone a fight.”
Passengers cheered as the man was escorted off the plane, and the flight was able to continue to Ibiza. The disruption reportedly cost EasyJet around £20,000 due to the emergency landing and subsequent rejoining of the flight path.
EasyJet’s response
An EasyJet spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating: “EasyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time. Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always EasyJet’s highest priority.”
Rising trend of in-flight disruptions
This incident is not an isolated one. In recent months, there have been several reports of disruptive behaviour on flights. For instance, a Ryanair flight from Málaga to Stockholm was delayed due to an alleged onboard assault on a flight attendant, resulting in the removal of the offenders by the Guardia Civil. Another Ryanair flight from Liverpool to Tenerife saw drunk passengers engaging in lewd behaviour in front of children.
The root cause
The rising number of such incidents underlines the need for stricter regulations and effective enforcement to ensure the safety and comfort of every passenger. Airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair are increasingly focusing on training their crews to handle such situations, but the root causes of such disruptive behaviour also need to be addressed.
Also read: British tourists cause massive brawl on beach in Mallorca