Aer Lingus flight forced to make emergency landing in France after couple’s mid-air brawl

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An Aer Lingus flight from Ireland to Spain made an emergency landing in France after a couple’s heated mid-air brawl became violent.

Flight EI738 from Dublin to Mallorca was forced to divert to Nantes Airport an hour into the 2h 45m journey on Friday evening (26 July).

The cabin crew declared an emergency squawk 7700 code to indicate a serious issue onboard the aircraft when they could not de-escalate the physical dispute.

Local police officers met the Aer Lingus flight on the runway to remove and arrest the aggressive male passenger for domestic assault.

A woman, believed to be his wife, reportedly suffered “facial injuries” during the in-flight attack and was escorted from the cabin for medical treatment.

The flight was delayed in France for around two hours before continuing the journey to Palma De Mallorca Airport.

Video footage shared on Twitter/X shows a man being escorted from the plane by police to cheers from fellow passengers.

According to the social media post, the Majorcan Pontent de Palma rugby club were onboard the disrupted flight from Dublin following a training camp.

The Independent has contacted Aer Lingus for comment.

It’s not the first time a passenger dispute has forced an emergency landing this year.

Earlier this month, a Ryanair flight from Agadir to London was forced to divert for an emergency landing in Marrakech after a violent mass brawl broke out between passengers.

Flight RUK3034 was bound for Stansted Airport when a violent altercation over seating arrangements erupted 36 minutes into the four-hour flight.

A man in his late 20s reportedly requested to switch seats with a mother, sat beside her own daughter, to sit by his wife and young children.

After the woman refused and the flight had taken off, continued threats from the man prompted the passenger’s husband to defend his wife.

Video footage showed passengers screaming, pushing and throwing punches in the aisle as cabin crew attempted to intervene.

Moroccan police met the flight on the tarmac and removed nine passengers involved in the mid-flight brawl.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.