Sunday, February 15 2026 - 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. Watch the video
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