A flight was forced to turn around just 30 minutes after take-off after a wild and "dangerous" brawl broke out mid-air. As reported by Dexerto, easyJet Flight EZY3352 had departed Tenerife South Airport for Liverpool when things went wrong.
Eight British passengers ended up needing to be removed once the plane had touched down. A Tenerife police spokesperson explained that the passengers involved in the brawl were travelling together.
"What appears to have happened is that a heated discussion started in the airport terminal between two families before they boarded the plane and those problems obviously continued on the plane, which is why it turned back," they explained.
Air traffic control audio revealed what happened. "The captain decided to return due to the danger it posed to the safety of the flight. We expedited their return as much as possible while coordinating with the airport for police presence."
No one was arrested because of the brawl, but the passengers didn't end up staying on the flight. The flight itself landed in Liverpool one hour and 54 minutes later than originally planned.
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The Flight Company Also Released a Statement About the Brawl
easyJet also released a statement about the wild incident. They said that the flight "returned to the airport and was met by police due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively."
They added that their "cabin and ground crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time."
The airline finished their statement by saying they "take these incidents very seriously... And do not tolerate disruptive behavior toward our staff. The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is always our highest priority."
While alcohol wasn't mentioned as a reason behind the brawl, people on social media were quick to mention it. One angry commenter wrote, "They need to ban alcohol on planes & in airports & anyone who smells of it or looks like they've had too many should be breathalysed before boarding."
We hope that everyone involved is okay, and we're glad everyone (apart from those involved) got to their destination.
