'Disruptive' man 'dragged off' easyJet plane after pilot forced to land early

A man was "dragged off" a plane full of holidaymakers after the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled landing on the way to Corfu.

The divert took place on board an easyJet flight from Manchester to Corfu, Greece yesterday after a passenger was reportedly "disruptive" and a man was escorted away. Passengers claim, shortly after take off, a stewardess had to restrain a man who was "wobbling backwards and forwards" in his seat.

After touching down in Milan, Italy for an unscheduled stopover, a video taken by a passenger shows local police officers dragging a man off the plane.

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A woman was also escorted off the flight after him, clutching a bottle of vodka, onlookers claim - but this was not captured on film.

One passenger said: "We we're about halfway through the flight and there was a little bit of obstruction at the back. The stewardess was spending a lot of time back there, to the point she wasn't leaving his side.

"The captain came over the intercom saying they were going to make an emergency landing because of disorderly conduct and that there was an incident.

"He was wobbling backwards and forwards. The stewardess was keeping him in his seat. Police came on in Milan and two officers struggled to get him out of his seat, he was then on the floor and they dragged him along. They tried to put him in cuffs and he was clinging to the staircase on the way down.

"The police cars were on the tarmac for a good 30 to 40 minutes. The same officers escorted off a woman with a bottle of vodka in her hand."

After a 90-minute wait on the tarmac, the flight eventually continued on to Corfu, the passenger said.

An easyJet spokeswoman said: "Flight EZY2061 from Manchester to Corfu on 24 September diverted to Milan and was met by police due to the disruptive behaviour of a customer onboard. The flight then continued to Corfu.

"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. We take these incidents seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard.

"The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority."