EasyJet Flight Forced Back to Tenerife After Reported Mid-Air Brawl Among Passengers: No Arrests Made

A reported mid-air dispute involving multiple passengers forced an easyJet flight bound for Liverpool to divert back to Tenerife.

Spanish authorities met the flight on its return to Tenerife South Airport, but no arrests were made following the incident.

Flight EZY3352 was carrying 186 passengers and had been airborne for approximately 30 minutes on the evening of 21 July.

The crew requested to return to the Spanish island after the incident was considered a risk to the safety of the flight, according to Spanish air traffic control.

What Exactly Happened on the EasyJet Flight

Early reports described the incident as a brawl, but Spanish police later provided further details.

According to the authorities, the dispute stemmed from two British families whose disagreement began in the airport terminal.

Eight people were removed from the flight and identified, two adults and six children, but no arrests were made.

The aircraft later resumed its journey to Liverpool after the disruption was dealt with on the ground.

aaaaaaaaaaA social media post by the father of one of the passengers disputed reports that a brawl had taken place, claiming there was no fighting and that a family with children had simply been escorted from the aircraft.

As of publication, Spanish authorities have not confirmed whether a physical fight occurred. Instead, they described the incident as a heated dispute that escalated after boarding.

Flight EZY3352 landed back at Tenerife South Airport without incident.

Police have not released further details about those involved or confirmed whether any additional action will be taken.

EasyJet Speaks on the Incident

The Spanish Air Traffic Control confirmed that the aeroplane crew requested police presence before landing. Authorities were dispatched to meet the aircraft as soon as it returned to Tenerife South Airport.

An easyJet spokesperson said: 'Our cabin and ground 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 also stressed that the safety and wellbeing of the customers and their crew is always their highest priority. 'We take these incidents very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour towards our staff,' they added.

EasyJet's statement also confirmed that the unscheduled return to Tenerife was due to 'a group of passengers behaving disruptively.'

The Aviation Industry's Ongoing Problems

After the incident, the Spanish Air Traffic Control released a statement saying, 'Our full support goes out to the crews and passengers who are increasingly having to endure these situations.'

Although no arrests were made, the disruption shows the challenges airlines continue to face in managing difficult passenger behaviours.

A recent Times report found that the number of abusive passenger incidents rose from 390 in 2019 to 1,245 over the past year, prompting the UK government to consider an industry-wide blacklist allowing airlines to share information about repeat disruptive passengers.