Overview
- A Tenerife‑to‑Liverpool easyJet flight carrying 186 people returned to Tenerife shortly after takeoff when a fight between two groups of mainly British passengers escalated at altitude.
- Police and the Civil Guard met the aircraft on the tarmac and removed eight people who had been travelling together, described by officials as two adults and six minors.
- Crew judged the violence a safety threat and the aircraft later continued to Liverpool with the remaining passengers after the disruptive travellers were taken off the plane.
- Spanish authorities said the dispute likely began in the airport terminal between two families and then continued on board, prompting the captain’s decision to abort the flight.
- The incident adds momentum to UK proposals being developed by the Department for Transport and the Home Office that would let airlines report unruly flyers to a central system so other carriers can be warned.