Scottish TUI flight diverted as ‘drunk passenger causes chaos’ on plane

A TUI flight from Glasgow to Antalya was forced into an emergency landing after a ‘drunken’ passenger reportedly assaulted a cabin crew member.

The TOM778 service, which took off at 5.15pm on Friday from Glasgow Airport, had to make an unscheduled stop at Newcastle International Airport shortly after departure.

The incident escalated when the allegedly intoxicated individual, who had been seen drinking before boarding, attacked a member of the flight staff. Police were called to the scene and boarded the aircraft in Newcastle to apprehend the disruptive passenger.

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Dramatic footage obtained by Glasgow Live captures the moment the man is escorted off the plane by police, as other passengers look on in dismay. The altercation caused a significant delay, with travellers reaching their Turkish destination over five hours behind schedule.

One traveller recounted: “They were seen drunk while boarding the plane. He refused to surrender his own bottle of gin and became verbally abusive.”, reports the Daily Record.

The passenger continued: “An announcement was made 45 minutes after take-off that we were diverting with reason of unruly passenger. It took a further 45 minutes before we arrived at Newcastle, at around 7pm.”

The situation intensified as the passenger resisted arrest, leading to additional officers being summoned onto the plane. “Two police officers boarded the plane and handcuffed him but he became unsettled so two more officers came on board. His partner was also removed from the plane to a chorus of boos as she gave everyone the middle finger.”

Further hold-ups occurred as the crew had to remove the passenger’s luggage from the aircraft. Due to the severity of the incident and the extended working hours, the original cabin crew had to be substituted.

“The plane was also refuelled having burnt off excess to allow safe emergency landing.”

After an exhausting five-hour wait on the tarmac, the passenger shared: “It was clearly distressing for the children on board and frustrating for all. The captain visited every passenger personally in the aftermath to answer questions.”

“While a scenario crew were prepared for, there was slow information in whether we would proceed or disembark at Newcastle. They couldn’t let us off the plane due to border control issues.”

“It was very costly and disruptive to 200 people on board. TUI were very professional and appreciative of the patience of all.”

After an “unexpected start” to their journey, it emerged that the airline provided each passenger with holiday vouchers as compensation.

We have reached out to both TUI and Northumbria Police for further comment.