Couple spark mid-air chaos after drunken row diverts EasyJet flight to Tenerife 300 miles off course to tiny island

AN EASYJET flight from Manchester to Tenerife had to divert to the tiny Atlantic island of Porto Santo after a “drunk” couple started rowing on board. Local reports said the pilot made the decision to divert to the island – 330 miles away from Tenerife, and radioed ahead to police as he felt the couple were putting air safety at risk. AlamyThe EasyJet flight from Manchester to Tenerife had to be diverted to a small island 330 miles away after a couple started rowing[/caption] Officers from Portugal’s Public Security Police force and immigration officials were waiting on the tarmac to take the couple off the plane before it continued its journey to the Canaries around an hour later following its unscheduled stop. The drama occurred on Thursday afternoon, around three hours after the 2pm take-off from Manchester. The plane landed on Porto Santo, a Portuguese island 27 miles northeast of Madeira in the North Atlantic Ocean, just after 6pm local time and took off again for Tenerife South around 7pm after the two troublesome passengers were removed from the plane. Their nationalities have not yet been made public. READ MORE ON EASYJET PLEASY JET EasyJet launches ‘Big Orange Sale’ with bargain flights from just £13.49 EASY BREAK EasyJet launches new 4-week all-inclusive hols for £26pppn after first sells out In September a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Tenerife was also diverted to Porto Santo and four passengers removed after a fight broke out on board. Reports at the time said a man described as being “rotten drunk” urinated on a seat. A passenger on the flight said the man was intimidating staff and passengers and a woman on board punched another traveller and had to be restrained in her seat.  In 2018 a drunk couple also forced another Ryanair plane doing the same route to make an unscheduled stop on Porto Santo so they could be handed over to police and left on the island. MOST READ IN TRAVEL NO IFS NO BUTTS The number of cigarettes you can bring to the UK from abroad explained SCANWICH The dos and don'ts on taking food through airport security EGGS-CELLENT IDEA Here’s how to bag a £3 hotel breakfast - but there’s a catch SAFE TRIP The difference between ABTA and ATOL and how they protect your holiday VAY-YAY Here's what your dream honeymoon says about you TAKING THE MICKEY My Disney World trip was RUINED after being blocked from boarding plane Last month a ‘drunk’ woman was arrested after a packed plane from London Gatwick to Madeira’s capital Funchal was forced to divert to Lisbon. Police were filmed boarding the Wizz Air flight to take her away amid local reports she had jeopardised the safety of the aircraft by assaulting crew and other passengers. Funchal-based paper Jornal da Madeira, quoting a Portuguese passenger it said it had spoken to while the plane was still on the tarmac at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, reported at the time: “We were diverted to Lisbon because of a drunk female passenger who began to assault other passengers. “She also assaulted crew as well.” Most read in The Sun HEARTBREAKING LOSS Brit OnlyFans star, 25, dies before her baby son's first Christmas TANGOING OUT Strictly's Giovanni Pernice finds love with show winner after going public ASHLEY'S HEARTBREAK Ashley Banjo and wife Francesca SPLIT after 16 years together DRUGS BUST M&S manager, 22, admits dealing ecstasy at famous London nightclub NOT SO NICE Cadbury pulls selection boxes from supermarket shelves days before Christmas GO, DASHER Brave mum shares how she gets Xmas dinner for £5 using a ‘guts of steel’ method