A Jet2 flight from Edinburgh Airport to Larnaca, Cyprus, was forced to return to Scotland shortly after take-off following an incident involving a disruptive passenger on board. Flight LS721 took off as scheduled but turned back approximately 30 minutes into the journey due to the disturbance.
Upon landing safely back in Edinburgh, emergency services were waiting to meet the aircraft. Police officers promptly removed the passenger from the plane. Police Scotland confirmed that a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including assault and endangering an aircraft.
Jet2 released a statement expressing apologies to the passengers for the inconvenience caused and reaffirmed their “zero-tolerance approach” to disruptive behaviour on flights.
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An eyewitness reported, “We were only in the air about half an hour when the man caused trouble. The stewardesses were also subjected to abuse. Eventually, we made a very bumpy landing back in Edinburgh.”
Video footage recorded inside the plane shows emergency personnel attending to the situation once the aircraft had returned to the airport. Fire crews and airport staff were on the tarmac, followed by police officers escorting the individual off the plane and into a waiting vehicle.
Flight tracking data indicates that the Boeing 737 departed Edinburgh and headed south towards Cyprus but reversed course near Newcastle shortly after entering English airspace.
A Jet2.com spokesperson said, “As a family-friendly airline, we take a zero-tolerance stance on disruptive passenger behaviour. We strongly condemn any such conduct and will take all appropriate actions, including legal measures and recovering costs where necessary. We apologise to all customers and our colleagues affected by this incident.”
A representative from Police Scotland stated, “At around 4.30 pm on Wednesday, September 23, police received a report of a disruptive passenger on a flight departing Edinburgh Airport. The flight returned, and a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with offences including assault and endangering an aircraft. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, September 24. Anyone with relevant footage is encouraged to contact police via 101 quoting incident number 2320 of September 23.”