EasyJet Flight Forced into Emergency Landing Over ‘Aggressive Passenger’
Flight Diverted After Passenger Chaos
EasyJet flight EZY8556 from Antalya, Turkey, to London Gatwick was forced to make an unexpected pit stop in Bari, Italy on Friday night. A “passenger incident” involving aggressive behaviour prompted the captain to divert the flight for everyone’s safety.
One passenger described the troublemaker as “unstable” and said they became hostile to crew and fellow travellers mid-air. As a result, the pilot decided to land in Bari so authorities could take charge.
“On a flight from Antalya to London Gatwick, one unstable passenger decided to be aggressive toward passengers and crew. Therefore, the captain decided to divert the flight to Bari in Italy,” said a witness onboard.
Once on Italian soil, the disruptive individual was removed and handed over to police, while passengers had to wait it out.
Passengers Stuck Overnight in Italy
The detour caused major delays. Stranded passengers faced an overnight stay in Bari as EasyJet scrambled to sort alternative travel plans. The airline arranged hotel accommodation and meals.
A replacement flight was scheduled to depart from Bari on Saturday evening at 7:35pm local time, aiming to land back at Gatwick by 9:20pm.
EasyJet urged affected travellers to liaise with ground staff for help and promised to keep disruption to a minimum while prioritising safety.
EasyJet Speaks Out on the Drama
A spokesperson confirmed: “Flight EZY8556 from Antalya to London Gatwick diverted to Bari due to a disruptive passenger. Police met the flight on arrival.”
They added: “The crew reached their regulated safety operating hours, so the flight was delayed overnight. We arranged hotel accommodation and meals for customers.”
“Our cabin crew are trained to handle situations swiftly to ensure no one’s safety is compromised. Incidents like these are rare but taken very seriously. We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our priority.”
An airport source told Sussex News: “Passengers were disembarked and assisted with transfers to hotels. The flight was rescheduled for Saturday evening as the crew exceeded their duty time limits.”
