An easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Tenerife was forced to speed up its landing after 12 disruptive passengers caused an incident on board, with pilots radioing for help
A holiday flight from London Gatwick descended into mid-air chaos after a group of 12 passengers sparked panic on board. The easyJet flight to the Canary Islands was reportedly forced to perform an accelerated landing on Thursday (June 11) after unruly travellers caused a tense standoff at 35,000 feet.
The situation is said to have become so fraught that pilots were forced to radio ahead for urgent police assistance. The journey from Gatwick to Tenerife South was thrown into turmoil mid-flight, prompting the captain to trigger an alert to the control tower.
Eager to get the aircraft on the tarmac and defuse the escalating incident, air traffic controllers say they took action to fast-track the plane’s arrival.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Controladores Aéreos said: “We shortened their manoeuvre as much as possible. All our support to passengers and crews who are forced to deal with these situations.”
The move allowed the pilots to speed up their direct descent into the airport to get the troublemakers off the flight as quickly as possible.
The drama didn’t end when the wheels touched the tarmac. The moment the aircraft taxied to a halt, waiting police officers entered the cabin to track down and identify the 12 disruptive passengers.
While the plane managed to land safely without further incident, it remains unclear whether the rowdy group were arrested or just slapped with a caution.
However, aviation bosses are cracking down harder than ever on sky-high bad behaviour.
The group of 12 now face a miserable end to their holiday plans, with the potential of being fined, facing court action or even being handed a lifetime ban from ever entering Tenerife.