18.07.08
A holiday flight from Gatwick Airport made an emergency landing after a drunken passenger tried to open the plane door at 35,000 feet. The man had been drinking alcohol bought in duty free at Gatwick, and become abusive to passengers and crew before making a lunge for one of the plane doors.
The First Choice Boeing 767-300, with 257 passengers and 11 crew on board, had flown from Gatwick on Wednesday, bound for Cuba. It made an emergency landing in Bermuda, where the man was taken off the flight by local police.
It is reported that the man, who has been named as Dean Lyons, 30, of Basingstoke, was with a group of 7 or 8 people and that he became abusive to a passenger outside the group. Reports suggest that they came close to blows. The captain asked people to stay calm, to stop drinking duty free alcohol and crew tried to quieten Mr Lyons, but as they did so he made a grab for the door.
A First Choice spokesman said: ‘The safety of passengers and crew is our number-one priority. We operate a zero tolerance policyon abusive or drunken behaviour on flights. On landing in Bermuda the passenger was met by airport police and placed in their custody.’
The other passengers stayed overnight in hotels in Bermuda and were flown on to Cuba yesterday, arriving 24 hours later thatn originally planned. Bermudan police said Mr Lyons had not been charged, but was detained ‘under security watch’ at an airport hotel and could face charges in the UK. He could also face a large bill from the airline for their extra landing, refuelling, hotel and other costs.
Mr Lyons was expected to arrive back in Britain this morning. It is reported that His girlfriend, who was on the flight, continued on to Cuba without him.
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