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Celtic fan brawling on easyJet flight forces police intervention in Turkey

The man ‘lost it’ after his team’s match ended in a 3-3 draw, says fellow passenger

Natalie Wilson
Monday 22 April 2024 10:19 BST
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Cabin crew reportedly held the man down for 20 minutes
Cabin crew reportedly held the man down for 20 minutes (Getty Images)

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A disorderly Celtic fan has been filmed clashing with fellow passengers, cabin crew and Turkish police officers on an easyJet plane after landing.

The flight from Edinburgh to Turkey was boarded by police at Antalya Airport at 8.15pm on Saturday (20 April) following a brawl between the disruptive football fan and airline staff.

A video shows the man punching the roof of the plane, and lunging out of his seat before he appears to punch a female flight attendant and a Turkish police officer before falling to the cabin floor and continuing the altercation.

The man, seen wearing a Celtic football shirt, attempted to wrestle past cabin crew while shouting and pointing “You’re a f*****g f***y” at a passenger several rows in front.

In the footage, fellow passengers can be heard screaming “Oh my god”, with one mother consoling her child and saying “it’s all right, it’s okay”.

The flight departed the Scottish capital following a 3-3 Celtic draw with Aberdeen at Hampden Park.

A passenger onboard told the Daily Record that flight attendants had to hold the disruptive passenger “down for a good 20 minutes” after he “lost it” following the Celtic result and a man said he was a “disgrace to the top”.

Cabin crew reportedly also found an empty bottle of vodka in the unruly man’s possession.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “EasyJet can confirm that police attended a flight to Antalya on 20 April on arrival due to a passenger behaving disruptively on board.

“EasyJet’s crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of passengers is not compromised at any time. Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour.

“The safety and wellbeing of all our customers and crew is always our highest priority.”

It’s not the first time this year a passenger fracas has forced police intervention on an flight leaving Edinburgh.

In February, a Ryanair flight from the Scottish capital to Tenerife was forced into an emergency landing in Portugal after multiple passengers became “disruptive” and started fighting mid-flight.

In a huge brawl, the passengers hurled insults and bottles at one another and had to be separated by “powerless” cabin crew just two hours into the almost five-hour flight.

The rowdy passengers were removed from the plane by police in Porto, Portugal before the plane continued its journey to the Canary Islands.

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