A woman escorted off a Wizz Air flight for antisocial behaviour is set to face a £15,000 bill as a result of the disruption, the budget airline has confirmed.
The unidentified woman, who is believed to be in her late forties, was travelling from Gatwick on Wednesday 12 March to the Red Sea resort of Hurghada when the incident occurred.
According to reports, the woman had been drinking for much of the flight before swapping seats with another passenger and then becoming unruly.
After swearing at flight attendants who asked her to calm down, a decision was made by the pilot to divert the plane midway through the five-hour flight to Athens airport in Greece where it was met by police.
Video footage shared online shows enforcement officials entering the packed cabin and removing the problem passenger from the aircraft to the cheers of fellow passengers.
In a statement shared with The Independent by the budget airline, a spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a passenger aboard our W9 5777 London Gatwick - Hurghada flight on the 12th of March had to be removed from the flight due to inappropriate behaviour towards our crew.
“This passenger's inexcusable conduct forced this flight to divert to Athens where it was delayed for a short time before going on to the destination. This then further disrupted the return flight from Hurghada back to London because of crew duty time limitations.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our number one priority. Wizz Air has a strict policy against harassment and passenger misconduct and will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to ensure the safety and security of everyone aboard our flights.”
It added: “Wizz Air will be looking to take legal action against this passenger due to the unnecessary disruption caused to our customers. It is completely unacceptable that passengers who work hard to enjoy a trip away are negatively impacted due to one passenger’s failure to behave.”
The news comes as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has reiterated his call for a limit of just two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars.
The budget airline said such a policy would result in “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”.
The carrier announced in January that it has started taking legal action to recover losses against disruptive passengers, as part of a “major misconduct clampdown”.
The Irish airline is claiming €15,000 (£12,500) in damages against a disruptive passenger after their “inexcusable behaviour” forced a flight to divert.
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