Mid-air brawl’ forces UK-bound easyJet flight to return to Tenerife

The captain decided to return to Spain about 30 minutes after departure “due to the danger” the fight “posed to the safety of the flight”, the air traffic controller said.

Police met flight EZY3352 when it touched down at Tenerife South airport on Tuesday evening, per the crew’s request.

The 186-passenger aircraft then continued to Liverpool.

The air traffic controller said in its statement, originally written in Spanish: “Our full support goes out to the crews and passengers who are increasingly having to endure these situations.”

EasyJet said the plane “returned to the airport and was met by police due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively.

“The flight then continued to Liverpool.”

The airline added: “Our 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.

“We take these incidents very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour towards our staff.

“The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is always our highest priority.”

Air traffic control also said: “The crew of the flight from Tenerife South to Liverpool, after about 30 minutes of flight, informed us that they needed to return to the airport and requested police presence upon arrival.

“A group of about 10 passengers had started a fight on board, and 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.

“They landed and cleared runway 07 without incident.”