Emergency landing after woman tries to open plane door

27.07.08

A plane flying to Manchester Airport made an emergency landing in Germany after two women attacked the crew and one tried to open a cabin door mid-flight. The women, aged 26 and 27, had been drinking heavily and were held in their seats by cabin crew as the XL Airways plane landed in Frankfurt. They were arrested, but released after 2 hours. It is reported they will face charges and a compensation claim from the airline in the UK.

The flight was on its way from Kos to Manchester when the incident happened on Wednesday. Hartmut Scherer, a Police spokesman at Frankfurt Airport, said the women had become violent with flight attendants because they were refused alcohol. The 26-year-old woman is reported to have tried to hit a flight attendant with a vodka bottle after the crew refused to serve her.

Mr Scherer said the captain decided to make an unscheduled stop in Frankfurt and remove the women from the flight. He added: ‘They wanted to open a door in the plane "to get some fresh air" but that was not possible and the crew held them in their seats until the landing.'

The plane flew on to Manchester Airport after a 2 hour delay. The women were questioned by police but released and allowed to return to the UK on another flight. They face charges of grievous bodily harm and violating air traffic regulations, according to Reuters. German media also report that the airline will charge them for the cost of the diversion, which could be over £10,000.

A spokeswoman for XL Airways confirmed they were considering legal action against the pair. She said: ‘We had two disruptive passengers on the flight. We suspected one of them of smoking in the toilet, and that they were drinking their own alcohol. We refused to serve them any alcohol and things escalated.'

'Their language was totally unacceptable, as was their behaviour. They were very abusive and threatening. The crew did an excellent job and were very professional.’

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