An EasyJet flight bound for Liverpool was forced to return to Tenerife just 30 minutes after take-off following a violent fight that broke out in the air involving 10 passengers.
Flight EZY3352 took off from Tenerife South Airport on Tuesday afternoon, July 21, with 186 passengers on board. But half an hour into the trip, chaos broke out.
Air control officials stated that a large group of passengers were involved in a physical altercation, forcing the captain to make the critical decision to return to the Spanish island, citing “the danger” that the violence “posed to the safety of the flight.”
When the plane landed at Tenerife South airport on Tuesday night, Spanish Civil Guard officers met it at the airport after the crew requested the presence of police officers. After removing the rebellious passengers, the plane flew to Liverpool.
While confirming the incident. easyJet said the plane “returned to the airport and was met by police due to a group of passengers behaving in a disruptive manner”.
The airline highlighted its commitment to passenger safety: “Our cabin and ground staff are trained to evaluate all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.”
“We take these incidents very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behavior towards our staff. The safety and well-being of customers and crew is always our top priority,” the airline added.
The air traffic controller also expressed his solidarity with the crew, stating: “Our full support is for the crews and passengers who increasingly have to endure these situations.”
All of them were apparently British and there have been no arrests by the Spanish Civil Guard. This has come at a time when British government officials are preparing a new proposal that could result in bans for problem passengers on all airlines, not just one in particular.
Government officials at the Department of Transportation and the Ministry of the Interior are preparing a system that will allow information about unruly passengers to be shared between carriers. According to a recent survey carried out by YouGov among 5,173 Britons, almost 75% of respondents were in favor of such a ban on all flights for these problem passengers.
