‘Disruptive’ passengers force easyJet plane to make emergency landing

The flight from Liverpool to Turkey had to land in Munich and was met by police on the tarmac

Tara Cobham
Thursday 20 April 2023 09:13 BST
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The easyJet plane had to make an unscheduled landing in Munich due to two passengers “behaving disruptively”
The easyJet plane had to make an unscheduled landing in Munich due to two passengers “behaving disruptively” (PA Wire)

An easyJet plane was forced to make an emergency landing because of two passengers “behaving disruptively” onboard a flight from Liverpool to Turkey.

The Dalaman-bound Airbus took off from John Lennon Airport at 1.06pm on Wednesday - but a couple of hours into the journey, the aircraft began circling over Munich, before the flight was cut short.

The plane made an unscheduled landing in the city and was met by German police on the tarmac at around 4.20pm. It was later confirmed by the airline this was because two passengers were “behaving disruptively” on board.

The passengers disembarked the plane accompanied by officers, according to eyewitnesses, with others on board saying they felt “unsafe” amid the “drama” - but praising the “very professional and calm” cabin crew.

The passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told the ECHO: “Just under an hour into the flight the trouble started. Many passengers found it disturbing and felt unsafe with the drama unfolding.

“This went on for some time, the cabin crew tried to intervene and then the captain decided to make an emergency landing at Munich to remove the guy, German police boarded the plane and removed them.

“There was a large presence of police both on the plane and also on the tarmac.”

The airline later offered the reassurance that incidents like this are “rare”.

A spokesperson from easyJet said: “EasyJet can confirm that the flight EZY3409 from Liverpool to Dalaman on 19 April diverted to Munich and was met by police due to two passengers behaving disruptively onboard.

“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.

“While such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard.

“The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority.”

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