Summary
- EasyJet flight EZY34TV was diverted to Lanzarote due to rowdy passengers, resulting in a delay of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- The Spanish police stormed the aircraft upon arrival and removed the disruptive passengers.
- The airline has apologized for the inconvenience caused and prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew.
An easyJet flight was welcomed by the Spanish police upon its diversion to Lanzarote due to violent passengers. Easyjet Flight EZY34TV was flying from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Tenerife (TFS) in the Canary Islands. The flight crew had to detour to Lanzarote Airport (ACE) about 30 minutes prior to their scheduled arrival in Tenerife.
The Spanish police stormed the aircraft upon its arrival, taking the rowdy passengers off the plane to issue fines. The aircraft later continued on to Tenerife with a total delay of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The flight diversion
On September 29, easyJet Flight EZY34TV (Registration G-EZOP) en route to TFS, was diverted to ACE due to eight rowdy passengers. The flight, operated on an Airbus A320-214 aircraft, was disrupted at its cruising altitude of 38,000 ft (11,500 m).
Data from FlightRadar24 shows that the pilots made a sudden descent and change of direction mid-flight. About four hours after takeoff, the aircraft turned eastward (instead of moving west towards Tenerife) and landed at ACE, 100 miles east of the destination.
Photo: easyJet
Spanish police had been called by the air traffic controllers due to the possibility of assaults onboard the aircraft. According to the air traffic controllers account,
A police presence on arrival was coordinated. We reiterate our support for air crews and passengers who have to endure these situations.
The flight crew ensured the police were present upon arrival in ACE. The police stormed the aircraft upon arrival and took the rowdy passengers off the plane. Reports suggest that the violent behavior arose under the influence of alcohol.
The Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) identified multiple individuals and fined them according to Spanish laws. Reports also suggest that while the passengers violated the airline policies during the flight, they cooperated with the law enforcement personnel upon arrival. The Mirror reported that a spokesperson from easyJet told the channel,
easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2011 from Manchester to Tenerife on 29 September was diverted to Lanzarote where the aircraft was met by police due to passengers behaving disruptively onboard. The flight then continued to Tenerife.
easyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time. Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our crew or other passengers.
Photo: Simone Previdi/Shutterstock
Most passengers on the flight were supposedly vacationers heading to the Canary Islands. The busy tourist travel period continues at the islands amid such disruptions. The Mirror reported that the airline showed its apology for the disruption and delay during their flight.
We would like to apologise to the other passengers for any inconvenience caused. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and ground agents is always easyJet’s priority.
What are your thoughts on the diversion of easyJet flight due to rowdy passengers onboard? Have you recently flown with easyJet? Tell us in the comments section.
Sources: Metro.co.uk, The Mirror