Woman arrested for ‘punching pilot’ after being ordered off easyJet plane

Police arrested the passenger after the attack which delayed flight by two hours

EasyJet Plane (Getty)

A woman has been arrested after allegedly punching an easyJet pilot in the face when she was ordered to leave the plane for disruptive behaviour.

The incident delayed the flight from Manchester to Paphos in Cyprus by over two hours.

The 25-year-old passenger was reportedly asked to leave the plane, but on her way out, turned on her heels, and launched an attack at the captain in which she punched him in the face, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Police were called to the plane at 2.20pm on Wednesday and arrested the woman on suspicion of assault.

It was subsequently discovered the woman was already wanted by the police for drugs offences.

An easyJet spokesman confirmed the police had taken custody of a “disruptive passenger”.

He added: “The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority.

“Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously, do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard and always push for prosecution.”

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police told MailOnline: “At around 2.20pm on Wednesday, May 11, police were called to a disturbance on a flight which was due to leave Manchester and fly to Paphos.

“On arrival police discovered a 25-year-old woman had been asked to leave the flight due to her behaviour.

“When being escorted by flight attendants from the aircraft the woman assaulted the captain of the aircraft.

“The woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and officers also discovered she was wanted for drugs offences.

“The woman is now being questioned in police custody.”