British holiday jet in emergency landing after drunk passenger tried to 'open door at 50,000ft'

Police boarded the First Choice Boeing 767-300 at Bermuda airport and led the man away after he had been abusive to other passengers and cabin crew.

Passenger Dominic Carman, who was taking his wife and three children on holiday to Cuba, said: 'He was clearly very drunk.

Mid-air scare: A First Choice jet like this one was forced to land in Bermuda

'He was in a group of about seven or eight people and sitting about three seats away from me.

'He first became abusive to another passenger and they almost came to blows.

'The  captain made an announcement that people who were drinking duty free they had brought with them should not drink any more, but the man continued to be abusive.'

Later, cabin crew tried to calm him down and the man - who has not been named - made a lunge to try to lift the door handle.

It was at that point the captain said he had no choice but to go to the nearest airport.

Mr Carman, who is a journalist, said: 'Police came on the plane and led him away. 

'All the other passengers clapped as he was taken away.

'We've all been taken off the flight and are going to be put up in a hotel overnight and continue our flight tomorrow.'

The flight, FCAO82 with more than 250 passengers including some 30 children on board, had been due to leave Gatwick at midday yesterday but was delayed for four hours because of a technical problem.

However, Mr Carman said it was clear the man had been drinking before the flight took off. 

Bermuda International Airport: Passengers were delayed for 14 hours

A spokeswoman for First Choice last night confirmed the captain of the flight had to make a diversion because of the behaviour of the passenger.

She said: 'In the interests of passenger safety, the captain decided to divert the plane to Bermuda to off-load the passenger.

'He was being disruptive and he was drunk so it was the sensible thing to do.'

The spokeswoman added the flight crew and passengers had been put up in a hotel in Bermuda.

She couldn't say when their journey could resume but it would probably be after a 14-hour wait.

She said: 'Legally, the crew have to have their rest time and we don't have any replacements in Bermuda, so we're looking at a delay of at least 14 hours.'

The drunken passenger was not arrested when taken off the plane but is being questioned by immigration staff in Bermuda.

Air rage on passenger planes has soared by 62 per cent over the last 12 months, and quadrupled over the last five years according to official figures.

In May, an airliner carrying British tourists home from a package holiday had to be diverted to France after a woman 'took a bite'' out of her boyfriend's face during a vicious fight at 35,000ft.

Passengers on the flight from Egypt said the 'drunken' couple had to be restrained by two off-duty police officers who were on the flight.