Yahoo News Woman bailed after ‘trying to open plane door’ during Jet2 flight escorted by two RAF fighter jets
A Jet2 flight was escorted by two RAF fighter jets after a woman allegedly tried to open the door of the plane while it was in the air.
The airline said there had been an “extremely disruptive passenger” on its flight from Stansted to Dalaman in Turkey on Saturday.
The aircraft was forced to return to the Essex airport after the woman allegedly tried to open one of the cabin doors.
Witnesses said she shouted obscenities and had to be restrained by cabin crew and fellow passengers.
When the plane returned to the ground at Stansted, police went on board and arrested a 25-year-old woman from Maidenhead, Berkshire.
She was arrested on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and endangering an aircraft.
She has since been released on police bail until July 30.
Two Typhoon fighter aircraft caused a sonic boom as they escorted the plane back to Stansted.
Witness Amiy Varol, 24, a community care officer from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was sitting in the sixth row of the plane when she saw the woman head towards the front of the aircraft.
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She told Yahoo News: “She came walking to the toilets and I thought she would go to the toilet like everyone else. Yet all of a sudden she ran to the doors and attempted to open them.
“The cabin crew pulled her back. Cabin crew had to physically remove her from the door and she then attacked two of the cabin crew. I think cabin crew did really well. It was very difficult for them.
“The whole plane was screaming. There were children crying and an old couple crying.”
Ms Varol said the woman was restrained by five people and that one passenger sat on her as she became more and more hysterical.
“She kept trying to get up, screaming ‘I want to get out’ and ‘I’m gonna kill everyone’.
“She only stopped screaming when the police arrived after we landed. It was very distressing to see the RAF jets.”
Ms Varol said the woman tried to hit other passengers and bite them.
A spokesperson for the Royal Air Force said: “We can confirm that RAF quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby scrambled to escort a commercial flight into Stansted shortly after take-off due to reports of a disruptive passenger.”
