EasyJet flight returns to Tenerife after mid-air brawl involving 10 passengers

EasyJet flight returns to Tenerife after mid-air brawl involving 10 passengers

An easyJet flight from Tenerife to Liverpool was forced to return to its departure airport on Tuesday evening after a brawl involving approximately 10 passengers broke out roughly half an hour into the journey, prompting the captain to declare an in-flight security concern.

Flight EZY3352, operating from Tenerife South Airport—a facility that handled 13.97 million passengers in 2025—turned back after Spanish air traffic controllers reported that the disturbance posed a potential threat to flight safety. Controllers prioritised the aircraft's return and coordinated with airport authorities to ensure police officers were waiting on the ground.

The Airbus A320, carrying up to 186 passengers, landed safely and cleared the runway without incident. Police met the aircraft upon arrival, and the flight later resumed its journey to Liverpool. EasyJet confirmed that a group of disruptive passengers was involved but did not immediately disclose whether arrests were made or whether those involved were removed from the aircraft.

Rising concerns over disruptive passenger behaviour

The incident highlights ongoing challenges facing the aviation industry with disruptive passenger behaviour. While global incident rates have shown improvement—declining from one incident per 307 flights in 2024 to one per 355 flights in 2025 according to International Air Transport Association data based on 93,107 incident reports—UK-linked flights have experienced a sharp rise in unruly incidents since the pandemic, with reports nearly tripling compared with pre-Covid levels by 2023.

Non-compliance with crew instructions remains the most frequently reported type of unruly passenger behaviour globally, though verbal and physical abuse incidents increased in 2023. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration received 687 reports of unruly passengers in the first half of 2026 as of June, well below the pandemic-era peak of nearly 6,000 incidents in 2021.

EasyJet emphasised that its cabin and ground staff were trained to respond quickly to disturbances that could compromise passenger or crew safety. The carrier stated it takes such incidents very seriously and does not tolerate disruptive behaviour towards staff, adding that the welfare of customers and employees remained its highest priority.

Legal consequences and enforcement challenges

Passengers involved in such incidents can face significant consequences under UK law. Those found drunk on an aircraft can be fined up to £5,000 and face up to two years in prison, while endangering aircraft safety can result in up to five years imprisonment. Passengers may also be liable for diversion costs ranging from £10,000 to £80,000.

However, prosecutions do not proceed in approximately 60% of unruly passenger cases, according to IATA member airlines, because local police at overseas airports may not have jurisdiction to deal with incidents occurring onboard foreign registered aircraft. This jurisdictional complexity may explain why it remained unclear whether arrests were made in this case.

Proposed national ban list scheme

UK airlines and government ministers are currently developing a national ban list scheme that would allow carriers to share information about disruptive passengers, potentially banning offenders from all UK airlines. The proposal, similar to a pubwatch system used by licensed premises, is still at the concept stage but has received broad industry support.

Spanish air traffic controllers voiced support for the crew and passengers, noting that aviation staff are increasingly required to manage serious disturbances on commercial flights. It was not immediately clear whether all those involved in the altercation were British nationals.