Teen arrested after holiday flight diverted to Shannon Airport

Pat Flynn

A teenager has been arrested after he was removed from a flight that diverted to Shannon Airport on Wednesday evening.

Jet2Holidays flight LS-155 was travelling from Glasgow, Scotland to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands and was about 300 kilometres off the south coast of Ireland when the crew turned around, with 202 passengers and crew on board.

The crew contacted air traffic controllers in Shannon and advised them of the situation, indicating they wished to divert to Shannon Airport.

The crew of the Boeing 737-800 series jet told controllers they had a "disruptive passenger" on board and that fighting had broken out in the passenger cabin.

The crew said they would need police on arrival, and Gardaí based in the airport were alerted.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, Gardaí confirmed a male aged in his late teens was arrested after officers boarded the plane in Shannon shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday.

"During the incident, a woman in her 20s was assaulted," the statement added.

The teen was arrested under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, and remains detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in Co Clare.

Gardaí said investigation into the matter are ongoing.

A spokesperson for Jet2Holidays said: "We can confirm that flight LS155 from Glasgow to Tenerife has diverted to Shannon Airport this afternoon so that police could offload a disruptive passenger."

A second Jet2 aircraft arrived at Shannon Airport from East Midlands Airport at 7.45pm on Wednesday evening, and was understood to have brought replacement crew members to allow the diverted flight could continue its journey to Tenerife.

The diverted flight resumed its journey shortly before 9pm.