A holiday flight from Gatwick was forced to land after a passenger tried to open a plane door at 35,000 feet. The man had been drinking and become abusive before making a lunge for one of the doors.
The First Choice Boeing 767-300 plane, with 257 passengers and 11 crew on board, had flown from Gatwick on Wednesday, and was bound for Cuba. It made an emergency landing in Bermuda, where the man was taken off the flight by police.
It is reported that the man, who was named as Dean Lyons, 30, of Basingstoke, Hampshire, was with a group of seven or eight people and that he was abusive to a passenger outside the group. Reports said they came close to blows. The captain asked people to stay calm and crew tried to quieten him but as they did so he made a grab for the door.
A First Choice spokeswoman said: 'The safety of all our customers and crew is our number-one priority. First ChoiceAirways operates a zero tolerance policy in regard to abusive or drunken behaviour on our flights. On landing in Bermuda the disruptive passenger was met by airport officials and placed in their custody.'
The other passengers stayed overnight in hotels in Bermuda and were flown on to Cuba yesterday. Bermudan police said Mr Lyons had not been charged, but was detained 'under security watch' at a hotel and could face charges in the UK. He was expected to arrive back in Britain this morning. It is reported that Mr Lyons' girlfriend, who was also on the flight, had continued on to Cuba without him. |
