A Ryanair flight was forced to divert after a "disruptive" passenger "kicked off for no reason".
The plane was bound for Malaga in Spain but instead had to head for Madrid over the incident.
Police marched the man off the plane, with witnesses on board the holiday jet claiming he was drunk and describing how he "kicked off for no reason".
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They said a number of heroic off-duty police officers, who were on board the plane as passengers, were forced to intervene after cabin crew tannoyed for assistance mid-flight, as the Manchester Evening News reports.
The flight was the FR3232 10am Thursday jet from Manchester Airport to Malaga.
Ryanair said the plane continued on to Malaga from Madrid, with passengers enduring an 80-minute delay as a result of the incident.
The airline apologised to all affected passengers for the delay, describing it as "beyond our control".
Pictures sent to the Manchester Evening News from a passenger on board show the moment Spanish police officers boarded the cabin.
A spokesman for Ryanair said the flight's captain called ahead to "request for Guardia Civil assistance" on arrival in Madrid and said the passenger was subsequently "removed from the plane".
One holidaymaker who witnessed the drama said the man was "kicking off" with another passenger for "no reason".
"It was a man who was drunk. He kicked off on another passenger for no apparent reason," they told the M.E.N.
"Some off-duty Merseyside police officers on the flight by chance took him to the back of the plane - and then we got diverted. The off-duty police guys really helped the cabin crew, who did an announcement to ask for assistance."
The passenger also shared an image of Guardia Civil officers and vehicles on the tarmac at Madrid after the plane touched down. "Everyone was pretty good natured in the end, but obviously not happy about a massive delay to their journey," they added.
In a statement, Ryanair said: "This flight from Manchester to Malaga diverted to Madrid after a passenger became disruptive during the flight. Crew called ahead to request for Guardia Civil assistance on arrival in Madrid. The aircraft landed normally and this passenger was removed from the plane.
"The flight continued to Malaga following a delay of 80 mins. Ryanair apologises to affected passengers for this delay which was beyond our control."
The Manchester Evening News contacted Guardia Civil for further comment.
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