On board the flight from Dublin to Palma which was forced to land in France. | Última hora

Humphrey CarterJulio BastidaPalma29/07/2024 09:30
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The Ponent de Palma rugby club team will never forget the drama they had to live through last Saturday. It all happened when the Mallorcan expedition was returning from participating in training camp in Dublin. The teenagers, from the U-16 category, i.e. aged between 14 and 15, were on board Aer Lingus flight EI738 between Dublin and Palma with their parents. Just as the aircraft was flying over Nantes, France, a British couple began a heated argument on the plane.

The argument escalated, forcing the cabin crew to intervene and ask them to behave. Far from heeding the crew’s instructions, at one point, an alleged physical assault took place. The rest of the passengers realised that something was going on when they saw the woman in the company of the stewardesses and with her face covered walking down the central aisle towards the front of the plane.

As per air safety protocol, the commander was informed of the altercation. After reporting the incident to the control tower, it was decided to make an unscheduled emergency landing at Nantes airport in France. As the airspace was restricted and there was a maximum level of terrorist alert and very strict measures were in place due to the French Olympic Games, the situation became more complex.

The commander was given clearance to land in Nantes and as soon as it landed, the alleged aggressor was arrested for a crime of gender violence and a crime of injury. Several officers entered the cockpit and took him away. The woman also left the aircraft in the company of other police officers and medics to be treated for the injuries sustained. Hours later, the flight resumed without further incident.