A 61-year-old British woman, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, was removed from a flight en route to Antalya, Turkey, after it was forced to divert to Thessaloniki, Greece.
The woman reportedly began shouting and physically assaulting the cabin crew approximately two hours into the flight. In the midst of her aggressive behavior, she also injured herself by hitting her face on a seat. Despite the crew’s efforts, they were unable to pacify her.
The incident led to an emergency landing at Makedonia airport in Thessaloniki around 10:30 pm local time. Upon landing, the woman was immediately arrested by Thessaloniki airport police officers. The airline cited the woman’s violent behavior as the primary reason for the emergency landing, emphasizing concerns over flight safety.
The following morning, the disruptive passenger faced multiple charges, including obstructing traffic, disorderly conduct on an aircraft in flight, and disobeying pilot orders. She was subsequently referred for trial at the Criminal Court in Thessaloniki. Notably, during the preliminary investigation, the woman declined to offer an apology, stating she would present her side of the story in court.
This incident is not an isolated case. There have been several instances in recent months where flights to and from popular holiday destinations, including Turkey, were diverted due to unruly passengers. Past incidents include a Jet2 passenger being tasered and removed from a flight to Tenerife, another causing an emergency landing in Bulgaria, and yet another being fined £50,000 for an altercation on a flight from London Stansted Airport to Crete.
