A FLIGHT to Edinburgh had to be diverted to London after a drunk passenger attacked cabin crew with her prosthetic leg.
The woman, who was a passenger on Thomson flight 297 from Enfindha, Tunisia to Edinburgh, had demanded ‘cigarettes and a parachute’, and became violent and abusive when staff asked her to quieten down.
Shocked eyewitness John Smith said that the woman slapped a young girl sitting next to her before taking off her false leg and swinging it at the stunned cabin crew.
The woman was eventually restrained and put in handcuffs while the pilot made an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport.
She was escorted from the aircraft by police, as relieved fellow passengers broke into a rousing rendition of the Hokey Cokey.
The drama unfolded at around 10pm on the Edinburgh-bound flight on Wednesday evening.
Mr Smith added: “We were coming back from Tunisia when this lady kicked off. She was off her face on drink.
“She was shouting ‘I want cigarettes’ and that she wanted a parachute to jump off the plane.
“She slapped a young girl and then assaulted the cabin crew with her prosthetic leg.
“They took it off her, but she started kicking them with her good leg.
“It sounds funny, but it was not a laughing matter at the time. It was serious. She was totally drunk. It was pretty shocking.”
Other passengers claimed the woman had been involved in a dispute at the resort in Tunisia, with the argument escalating on the bus to the airport.
At Gatwick, police officers took statements from travellers after escorting the woman off the plane.
Mr Smith continued: “When police came on board to escort her off the plane, people started singing the Hokey Cokey.
“She embarrassed everybody on the flight. A lot of people were upset about it, especially those with children.
“We had to sit on the runway for about an hour while the police took statements from passengers.
“The cabin crew were absolutely amazing and very professional in the way they dealt with it.”
The flight had originally been due to land in Edinburgh around 11.30pm on Wednesday, but the delay meant passengers eventually arrived back in Scotland around 2.30am on Thursday.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “At 10.22pm on Wednesday 30 July a 48-year-old unemployed woman from Edinburgh was arrested at the North Terminal, Gatwick Airport, on suspicion of using threatening behaviour while aboard Thompson flight 297 from Tunisia to Edinburgh.
“The flight was diverted into Gatwick after it was alleged the woman had been abusive and had thrown a prosthetic leg and food at cabin crew.
“The woman is being interviewed and is currently in custody at Crawley police station.”
A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said: “We can confirm that a Thomson flight bound for its destination was diverted to land at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday night.
“Two members of the public were taken away by Sussex Police.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/drunk- ... -1-3495360
LMAO!