Passenger arrested after incident on diverted plane

RAF fighters scramble to escort Etihad Airlines flight bound for Heathrow after pilot reported man making threats

A man was arrested today after an incident on a plane that was diverted away from Heathrow airport under escort from two RAF fighter jets.

The Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi landed at Stansted. A police source said the incident had no connection to terrorism and was understood to involve a drunk passenger.

An Essex police spokeswoman said: "A 37-year-old man, a British national, has been arrested following an incident on board an Etihad Airways plane travelling from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow. The pilot reported a passenger causing disruption and making threats.

"The plane was diverted to Stansted airport were it landed just before midday. No one has been injured and the airport has been operating normally."

A spokeswoman for Etihad said flight EY19 had been diverted to "offload a disruptive guest". She added: "He had been making inappropriate comments. The safety of the plane was never in danger."

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "Typhoon aircraft were launching this morning to escort a passenger aircraft due to an incident on board. The aircraft landed safely at Stansted airport."


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