Laurence Dollimore
A FLIGHT has been forced to turn back to Spain after a man tried to open the cabin door mid-flight.
The ‘serious incident’ occurred on a Aireuropa flight UX89 from Madrid to Santo Domingo yesterday afternoon.
Just 40 minutes after the 16.10 take off, a ‘drunk’ man who was ‘visibly upset’ lurched for the cabin door, sources said.
He was pounced upon by fellow passengers, which luckily included a policeman from Malaga who was trained in subduing violent suspects.
The man, who witnesses said had a ‘strong smell of alcohol’, was held while the pilot returned the plane to Madrid.
Large amounts of fuel had to be released to comply with weight limits during landing.
Aireuropa confirmed the incident, saying a traveller had become visibly ‘aggressive and violent,’ and had to be held down by passengers.
The man was arrested by police at Madrid-Barajas airport.
Some passengers stayed on the flight and took off some hours later while others opted to get off and were given free tickets to fly today.
