A TUI flight from Gran Canaria to Birmingham descended into chaos after a passenger violently attacked a flight attendant in front of more than 200 passengers, in the early hours of last Tuesday, as the plane was preparing to land.
Witnesses say the man, who appeared to be drunk, suddenly began shouting that the aircraft was going to crash. He ignored instructions to stay seated, made his way towards the toilet, and after briefly returning to his seat, stood up again and punched a flight attendant in the face without warning.
One passenger described his behaviour as “extremely erratic”, as the crew called for help. Several flight attendants became visibly distressed, with some breaking down in tears, while some tried to calm the other passengers.
Efforts to restrain the man failed, and even after landing, he continued to resist crew members who were using a restraint kit in an attempt to subdue him.
Passengers were stuck on the plane for almost an hour while the situation remained tense. When officers from West Midlands Police finally boarded, the man first raised his hands and told them to arrest him, but then started resisting again. He had to be pinned down and handcuffed before passengers were finally allowed to leave the plane, many of them applauding with relief.
This latest incident adds to a series of recent problems on flights involving passengers travelling to and from the Canary Islands.
