A Jet2 flight from Edinburgh to Cyprus was forced to turn back shortly after take-off following an incident involving a disruptive passenger. The Boeing 737, operating as flight LS721 to Larnaca, returned to Edinburgh Airport approximately 30 minutes into the journey. Police Scotland confirmed that a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with assault and endangering an aircraft.
Incident forces mid-air reversal
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows the aircraft departed Edinburgh and headed south towards Cyprus. The plane had barely entered English airspace when it reversed course near Newcastle, returning to Scotland. Emergency services, including fire crews and airport personnel, were waiting on the tarmac as the aircraft landed safely back in Edinburgh.
Footage captured inside the aircraft shows police officers boarding the plane and removing the passenger, who was carried down the stairs and placed into a waiting van. One eyewitness told the Daily Record: "We were only in the air about half an hour when the guy kicked off... Stewardesses were also getting abuse. We finally made a very bumpy landing back in Edinburgh."
Arrest and charges confirmed
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.30pm on Wednesday, September 23, police received a report of a disruptive passenger on a flight that had departed from Edinburgh Airport. The flight returned to the airport and a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with various offences including assault and endangering an aircraft."
The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, September 24. Police have asked anyone with footage that could assist their enquiries to contact officers via 101, quoting incident number 2320 of Wednesday, September 23.
Jet2 issues apology and warning
A spokesperson for Jet2.com said: "As a family-friendly airline, we take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behaviour, and we strongly condemn any behaviour of this nature. We will not hesitate to take appropriate action against disruptive passengers, including through the courts where necessary, and we will seek to recover the costs incurred as a result of their behaviour."
The airline added: "We would like to apologise to all customers and our colleagues onboard who had to experience this." The incident caused significant disruption for passengers on the flight, who were forced to return to Edinburgh after the disturbance. The airline has not yet announced revised departure arrangements for those affected.
