Man dragged off UK easyJet flight by police after diversion to Milan

A Manchester-to-Corfu flight operated by easyJet was diverted to Milan on Wednesday after reports a passenger became disruptive, according to eyewitness accounts. Passengers said a man was restrained during the flight and that the crew and a stewardess kept him in his seat before the decision was made to divert. A video taken by a passenger shows police removing the man after the aircraft landed on the Italian tarmac.

A short distance away, a woman believed to be accompanying him was escorted off the plane, reportedly holding a bottle of vodka. Onlookers described the moment as the aircraft touched down, though footage of that portion of the incident was not captured on film. The captain announced an emergency landing due to disorderly conduct and said the situation warranted a diversion.

The flight originated in Manchester and was bound for Corfu, Greece, when authorities decided to divert to Milan. Passengers described a tense sequence as two Milan police officers moved toward the back of the cabin, struggled to lift the man from his seat, and then dragged him along the aisle toward the exit. He reportedly clung to the staircase as he was led down, and the officers remained on the tarmac for roughly 30 to 40 minutes while the passenger list was checked and security procedures were observed.

Witnesses said the captain’s intercom message indicated an emergency landing because of disorderly conduct, and that the crew had been dealing with the disruption for a portion of the flight. After the man was removed, the plane was cleared to proceed with its return to the gate for further checks or potential continued travel arrangements.

The Daily Mail, which first reported the incident, said easyJet had been contacted for comment, but at the time of reporting there was no immediate public statement from the airline. The newspaper noted that the incident involved a male passenger who was described by some accounts as disruptive, and that a second passenger—a woman with a bottle—also left the aircraft. The airline has not publicly confirmed the details of the events or any subsequent actions.

Officials have not disclosed whether any charges were filed in connection with the incident, and authorities have not released official statements detailing the passenger behavior beyond what eyewitness reports described. The event underscores the occasional in-flight disruptions on holiday routes, though authorities emphasized that such incidents remain relatively rare and are handled through standard security procedures when they occur.