Passngers who allegedly would not stop drinking were hauled off a TUI flight from Cancun to Manchester, after it was forced to divert.
Two men from Manchester were arrested and have since been charged with federal crimes of assault and interfering with flight crew, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The plane, bound for Manchester, was forced to divert to Bangor International Airport, in Maine, on Monday night (January 2). A third man was also removed from the flight but not charged.
An FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Maine alleged that there were a group of three disruptive passengers who had taken alcohol out of their hand luggage after being denied service when on board the flight.
It was also reportedly alleged that the men went on to make racist remarks about the flight crew and passengers in the disruption which escalated over US airspace on Monday.
The pair were detained without bail after initial court appearances on Tuesday (January 3). TUI has said they are assisting the FBI with their investigations.
A spokesperson for TUI told the Manchester Evening News: “We can confirm that TOM193 diverted into Bangor, Maine due to disruptive passengers on board the flight from Cancun to Manchester on 1st January 2023.
“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our highest priority, and we have a zero tolerance policy to disruptive behaviour on our flights. The customers involved were offloaded and the flight then continued its journey home shortly after.
“We take all security matters of this nature extremely seriously and will continue to assist the FBI with their investigation.”
