Jet2 flight diverts midair after ‘appalling’ footage shows fight over ‘racist comment’

A Jet2 flight from Antalya, Turkey, to Manchester was forced to divert to Brussels after two passengers became involved in a mid-air fight following alleged racist remarks.

The incident occurred at around 30,000 feet, with footage from the cabin showing the two men exchanging punches in the aisle as other passengers screamed. Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with some claiming they saw blood and teeth on the floor.

According to passengers, the altercation began after one of the men attempted to grab another passenger’s phone, which was reportedly playing music loudly. The situation escalated quickly, leading to a physical confrontation that alarmed families, children, elderly passengers and those with additional needs onboard.

Witnesses alleged that one of the men had been drinking and had been making racist comments toward nearby Pakistani passengers before the fight broke out. He was also said to have become aggressive toward cabin crew members during a dispute over cigarettes.

One passenger described the incident as one of the most “distressing experiences” they had ever endured on a flight.

A witness told The Sun: “Although he had been drinking on the flight, he was fully aware of his surroundings, knew exactly what he was saying, and was oriented throughout.” The witness added that the man “became confrontational, intimidating and openly racist toward the Pakistani passengers around him.”

Jet2 confirmed that flight LS896 was diverted due to what it described as the “appalling behaviour” of two disruptive passengers.

In a statement, the airline said: “Flight LS896 from Antalya to Manchester diverted to Brussels yesterday, due to the appalling behaviour of two disruptive passengers.”

It added: “They were both offloaded by police in Brussels and the flight continued to Manchester. We can confirm that the two disruptive passengers will be banned from flying with us for life.

“We will also vigorously pursue them to recover the costs that we incurred as a result of this diversion. As a family friendly airline, we take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behaviour, and we are very sorry that other customers and our colleagues onboard had to experience this too.”

Police boarded the aircraft upon landing in Brussels and took the two individuals into custody before the flight resumed its journey to Manchester.

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