“We take these incidents seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behavior onboard,” easyJet Airlines said in a statement
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NEED TO KNOW
- An easyJet flight from London to Antalya was diverted to Kosovo after two customers were “behaving disruptively onboard”
- A witness of the incident claimed that a man and woman, who met onboard the aircraft and were seemingly drunk, began spitting on and threatening those around them
- The airline confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that, upon the plane’s landing in Pristina, the pair were met by police and escorted off the aircraft
A flight from London to Antalya was diverted mid-flight after a drunken man and woman were “behaving disruptively.”
On Wednesday, April 29, easyJet flight EZY8559 was diverted to Kosovo after two customers were “behaving disruptively onboard,” after which they were met by police upon landing at Pristina International Airport in Kosovo, the airline confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.
“Our cabin crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time,” the airline said. “We take these incidents seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behavior onboard.”
“The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority,” the statement continued.
According to The Sun, the man and woman involved in the incident had met on board the aircraft and began flirting with each other when they found out they were both from Kent, England.
Before long, a passenger recalled the pair exhibiting “terrifying behavior” when the woman allegedly spit on a fellow passenger while the man allegedly threatened those around him, bragging that he had previously spent time in jail.
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In footage of the incident obtained by The Sun, a woman could be seen lunging across the aisle at another passenger, shortly after a fellow passenger claimed she was swigging from a bottle of vodka. Meanwhile, a male flight attendant stood nearby trying to de-escalate the situation.
“I was sitting behind them and minding my own business when suddenly I heard screeches and the commotion,” a witness told the outlet. “I looked up and was in disbelief about what was going on. It was all a bit mental.
“The pair were proper shouting, swearing at each other,” they continued. “Everyone was a bit scared, we all felt a bit helpless and felt sorry for the flight attendants. I decided to start filming in case evidence was needed and also for my own protection as well.”
Amid the chaos, an announcement was made encouraging all passengers to remain calm as the plane prepared to land in Kosovo, where police would come onto the plane and escort the pair off, per The Sun. The flight then continued on to Antalya and arrived around three hours late.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for the U.K.'s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office told PEOPLE in a statement that they are “in touch with the local authorities in Kosovo following an incident on a flight involving two British people.”
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