Can I get compensation for my flight’s unexpected diversion?

Simon Calder answers your questions on disruptive passengers, easily accessible airports, passport confusion in Turkey, and Singapore stopovers

Airlines often find themselves having to divert to offload unruly passengers ( )

Q I was on a flight from Belfast to Dalaman in Turkey 10 days ago. We were due to land at 9.10pm but did not arrive until 12.15am as our flight was diverted to Cologne to offload a drunken, aggressive passenger. I know you can claim compensation if your flight lands more than three hours late. But is easyJet likely to say this is an extraordinary circumstance and refuse compensation?

Karen

A I see your flight took off a little late and flew normally for about 75 minutes. But shortly after flying over Dusseldorf in western Germany, the captain decided to divert to Cologne to offload the disruptive passenger. You touched down at the German airport at 5.30pm local time, and remained on the ground for two hours, 40 minutes.