A holidaymaker has recounted their 'flight from hell' after his plane was forced to divert after a drunk couple allegedly smoking cigarettes in the toilets. The plane was travelling from Liverpool John Lennon airport to Tenerife before it had to go to Portugal due to the antics of the couple.
Hans Mahrla was travelling on his first holiday abroad since the start of the pandemic but sadly his plane was forced to divert to Lisbon in Portugal. It is claimed a couple who got drunk began smoking in the plane toilets before abusing their fellow passengers and airline staff, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Mr Mahrla, who is from Ormskirk, said the behaviour was 'shameful' and those travelling on the plane experienced 'the flight from hell.' Everything appeared to be fine with the pilot saying the flight was ahead of schedule before the couple began their antics.
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Mr Mahrla told the ECHO: "We were making good time and then some time mid-flight, a couple were obviously drinking too much. An announcement was made telling people they should not be drinking duty-free stuff and smoking was also prohibited on the plane.
"Next thing we know they closed the toilets at the back of the plane because they found cigarette butts in there. Ten minutes later the pilot said we were landing in Lisbon - the woman started to kick off and threaten other passengers. There was quite a bit of commotion on the plane."
The couple were led off the plane but as the flight eventually went to leave an hour-and-a-half later another issue arose when a "comatose" man tried to go to the toilet. The man was forced back by staff but urinated all over his seat.
Mr Mahrla added it was "pouring down the row behind him". The man was looked after by his friends who stayed behind once the plane had landed.
Mr Mahrla said easyJet's staff were "brilliant and very professional" throughout the ordeal. The staff were "very apologetic" but passengers "all felt safe on the flight".
The passengers reportedly clapped and cheered when they landed. Mr Mahrla said: "Everyone just wanted to enjoy the holiday - they didn't want to be held up like that. We were all happy to just land in Tenerife."
A spokesperson for easyJet told the ECHO : “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY7169 from Liverpool to Tenerife on July 6 diverted to Lisbon and was met by police as a result of two passengers on board behaving disruptively. easyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.
"Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously, and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board. The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is our highest priority."
Merseyside Police was also contacted but said responsibility for the passengers fell to the Portuguese authorities.
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