A Jet2 aircraft was delayed at East Midlands Airport on Monday evening after one of the passengers said he had an explosive device
The packed aircraft was scheduled to fly holidaymakers to Turkey when the alarm was raised at around 17.15 Monday 21st August. Armed police and airport staff swung into action and the man was removed from the flight
A spokesperson for the police said: "At 5.16pm today police were informed of a report of a male aboard an aircraft at East Midlands Airport who stated he was in possession of an explosive device.
The aircraft was on the ground at the time of the incident.
Officers worked with airport staff and with the aircraft crew to provide an immediate response to the report. In the interests of public and officer safety, armed officers were also deployed to the area of the aircraft. Following instructions, the man safely left the aircraft where he was arrested.
The aircraft has been fully searched. No explosive device has been found onboard and there is no suggestion that the threat made is viable. Following initial assessment, it was not deemed that evacuation of the aircraft was required."
In videos of the incident shared on social media, the man appears to be laughing and grinning as an armed police officer beckons him forward and orders him to leave the aircraft.
A Jet2 spokesperson said: "We can confirm that flight LS653 from East Midlands to Antalya returned to stand yesterday evening so that police could offload a disruptive passenger.
The flight departed after the passenger was offloaded. We would like to apologise to everyone onboard for any inconvenience or upset caused by this unforeseen incident."
The police confirmed the passenger in his late 40s had been arrested on suspicion of possession of an explosive substance and was released on bail while enquiries were ongoing.
Jet2 usually has a strong policy on disruptive passengers, often billing them for the entire extra costs incurred during the subsequent delay. Unruly passengers often then have a lifetime ban from flying with the Jet2, however, the company have not advised what action they will take on this occasion.
