Tui flight forced to make emergency landing after ‘aggressive’ and drunk passenger spilt alcohol on small child
A drunk Scottish passenger caused chaos on a Tui flight from Glasgow to Turkey, leading to a diversion and significant delays.
James Rae, 29, from Falkirk, pleaded guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk at Newcastle Magistrates Court.
The incident happened on May 24 when Rae’s disruptive behaviour forced the flight to be grounded at Newcastle International Airport.
The flight then faced a delay of more than five hours for the outbound flight and more than 17 hours for the return journey from Antalya.
Rae is set to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on November 6.
The prosecution, led by Rehana Haque, explained how Rae’s behaviour led to the flight’s diversion to Newcastle.
The court heard that he used offensive language towards staff, calling one air steward a “gay boy”. Rae continued swearing despite being told to stop as children were present.
The court heard that Rae, who “smelt intoxicated”, began consuming spirits he had purchased from duty-free. Passengers also reported him “banging” his head against the seat in front.
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He later spilled alcohol over a young girl seated nearby.
The cabin manager reportedly explained to Rae that his behaviour was “unacceptable”, but he continued to speak “in an aggressive manner” towards staff.
Chair of the bench Steven Johnson told Rae: “This is beyond our sentencing powers.”
Janice Hall, defending, informed the court that Rae is of “previous good character”.
The flight was delayed by five hours and 23 minutes, causing widespread disruption.
The captain of the flight expressed his frustration in a statement read to the court.
He described the ordeal as a “massive inconvenience to my airline.”
“The whole situation made me feel very annoyed,” the captain added.