A Scottish teenager has been “banned for life” from Jet2 after the airline said the incident on board a Tenerife-bound flight was “one of the worst” cases of disruptive behavior the firm had seen.
Jay Dalziel, 19, allegedly forced a Glasgow flight to divert to Shannon Airport in Co Clare, Ireland, on Wednesday afternoon after acting in a way the airline described as “appalling and deplorable”.
The Motherwell teenager has since been blacklisted from all Jet2 flights for life, Glasgow Live reports, and appeared in court on Thursday after what is believed to be a serious incident on board.
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Dalziel is said to have become disruptive as soon as the flight took off from Glasgow, as video footage captured the moment local police appeared to “pull” a half-naked man off the plane after the flight attendants were “assaulted”.
Jet2 chief executive Phil Ward has since confirmed the case was “one of the worst” the airline has seen in its history and will pursue the individual for all costs incurred as a result of the diversion, as well as ban him for life.
Mr Ward said: “This is one of the worst cases of disruptive passenger behavior we have ever witnessed and we would like to apologize to all colleagues and customers on board for what they must have experienced.
“It is disgraceful that hard-working customers, families and colleagues should be subjected to such appalling behavior and we will be vigorously prosecuting Mr Dalziel for all costs incurred as a result of this diversion, as well as banning him for life.”
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He added: “We would also like to thank the customers and colleagues who helped deal with Mr Dalziel on board, as well as the Gardaà for their assistance in unloading him. We will fully support them in their investigation and Mr Dalziel should be prepared to face serious consequences. for his actions.
“This incident should act as a stark warning to anyone who thinks it might be acceptable to behave in such an unacceptable way on board one of our flights. Fortunately, the vast majority of customers enjoy their flights and continue to have a wonderful holiday. We will continue to working hard to deliver our VIP customer service as always.”
Garda officers confirmed to Glasgow Live that the passenger had been taken into custody. A spokesman said: “Gardaj attached to Shannon Airport have arrested a man in his 20s following an incident on board an aircraft which took off at Shannon Airport at approximately 5.30pm this evening, Wednesday 12 June 2024.
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“Gardai met the aircraft and arrested the man under the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act 1997. He is currently being held under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at County Clare Garda Station. Inquiries are ongoing.”
A Jet2 spokesman said: “After offloading Mr Dalziel, the emergency aircraft and crew were immediately flown to Shannon Airport to take customers to Tenerife, with Jet2.com apologizing to customers for delaying the start of their well-deserved holiday.
They added: “Ahead of the busy summer season, Jet2.com is using this incident to re-emphasise its commitment to its industry-leading Onboard Together policy. This policy demonstrates Jet2.com’s zero-tolerance approach to the industry-wide problem of disruptive and abusive behavior .”