A flight from Cancun, Mexico, to London had to make an unscheduled stop in the US after a fight broke out between two passengers, the BBC reported.
The plane, which was carrying 267 passengers, landed in Bangor, Maine, around 9:30pm local time (2:30am GMT) on Tuesday. Everyone on board had to stay the night in Bangor because the crew had reached their duty limit by the time the flight landed.
A new crew was brought in, and the flight left Bangor at 3 PM EST (8pm GMT) on Wednesday. It arrived safely at Gatwick Airport in London later that day.
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The airline involved was TUI, and the aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told the BBC: “This incident involved a foreign-to-foreign flight that diverted due to an in-flight altercation between two passengers. Upon arrival, CBP officers removed both individuals from the aircraft. Although no criminal charges were filed, CBP processed the two subjects for expedited removal.”
The two passengers were sent back to their home countries on separate flights, according to the report.
Audio of the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control shows how quickly the decision was made to land the plane.
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“Cockpit is secure and there’s two passengers fighting and the crew has pretty much gotten them under control,” the pilot said in the recording, as heard by the BBC.
An air traffic controller replied that security would be waiting when the aircraft landed.