A group of passengers were involved in a mass brawl on board a flight from Tenerife to Liverpool, forcing the plane to return to the airport in Spain
An easyJet flight bound for the UK has been forced to turn back to Tenerife after a mass fight on board.
Spanish air traffic controllers said overnight ‘around 10 passengers’ had been involved in the fracas on board the plane heading for Liverpool.
They said in a statement: “The crew of the flight from Tenerife South to Liverpool informed us, after about 30 minutes in the air, that they needed to return to the airport and requested a police presence upon arrival.
“A group of around 10 passengers had started a fight on board, and the captain decided to turn back because of the danger this posed to the safety of the flight. We expedited their return as much as possible while coordinating with the airport to ensure a police presence.
“They landed and vacated runway 07 without incident. Our full support goes to the crews and passengers who are having to endure these situations more and more often.”
The incident happened on easyJet flight EZY3352, which flight trackers show left Tenerife South Airport just before 8pm local time yesterday and returned to the same airport at five minutes past nine.
It was not immediately clear this morning whether the passengers said to have been involved in the fight were all British and whether any had been arrested.
One Spaniard responding to the news said on social media: “I’m amazed by the number of flights departing from or arriving in the UK that experience security problems like this. What a disgrace.”
Meanwhile a flight from London Gatwick to Ibiza turned around just moments after take-off for a ‘general emergency’ this morning.
Wednesday’s 5:35am easyJet flight to the Spanish island on Wednesday morning has returned and landed safely back at London Gatwick, according to Flight Radar 24.
It’s thought the plane transmitted a ‘general emergency’ code ahead of returning to its original airport. Eyewitnesses have said on social media that ‘lots of fire trucks’ are in attendance at the airport.
“EasyJet Flight EZY52LD turns back toward London Gatwick Airport in UK after transmitting code 7700, indicating general emergency, shortly after takeoff,” Flight Radar 24 said.
A spokesperson for easyJet said the plane, an Airbus A320-214, suffered a ‘technical issue’. A statement from the company explained: “Flight EZY8099 from London Gatwick to Ibiza this morning diverted back to London Gatwick where it requested a priority landing due to a technical issue.
“The captain performed a routine landing in line with procedures, and the aircraft was met by emergency services at London Gatwick as a precaution only. The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”