An easyJet captain wrestled a disruptive passenger to the floor along with crew members and fellow travelers after the man began screaming and headbutting a door on a flight from Luton to Amsterdam.
Incident Details
The flight, EZY2511, was taxiing toward the runway when the intoxicated passenger started headbutting the toilet door and demanding to be let off the aircraft. Witnesses reported that the pilot rushed to confront the man, and another passenger delivered a flying drop-kick to subdue him.
Takeoff was aborted as ground crew boarded the Airbus A319 to remove the screaming passenger, causing hours of delays for the more than 150 people aboard. The drunk was escorted down the plane stairs but broke free and sprinted toward a live runway before being apprehended by police, to cheers from passengers.
Witness Account
One witness described the scene: "The guy who boarded was screaming abuse down his phone and threatening to fight passengers, before being moved to the front of the plane by the crew. As the plane began to taxi, he completely lost it. He jumped up, demanded to get off, and sprinted full-speed down the aisle to the back. He started violently headbutting the toilet door, hitting it so hard he left a dent. The captain emerged and, alongside the flight attendants, wrestled him to the floor in the back galley. During the scrap, another passenger delivered a WWE-style flying drop-kick to the unruly man."
Ground staff hauled the inebriated passenger away after a 10-minute struggle, to cheers from those on board. The flight eventually arrived in Amsterdam at midday, three hours and 55 minutes behind schedule.
EasyJet Statement
EasyJet said in a statement: "A passenger on Flight EZY2511 from Luton to Amsterdam on June 13 was denied travel due to behaving disruptively on board, prior to departure. EasyJet’s cabin crew and ground staff are trained to assess all incidents and act quickly and appropriately and we do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our staff. The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority."
