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Man due in court following incident on flight

Photo: © Pat Flynn 2015
The Norwegian Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing at Shannon yesterday – Photo: © Pat Flynn 2015

A 28-year-old man is due in court this morning after the jet on which he was travelling was forced to divert to Shannon Airport last night (Tuesday).

The U.S. national, believed to have an address in Miami, Florida, was being questioned last night after he was removed the jet for allegedly engaging in threatening behaviour.

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Norwegian flight NAX-7045 was an route from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale in Florida when the crew contacted air traffic controllers at around 5.15pm to advise of their situation.

The crew told controllers that they wished to divert to Shannon and requested that gardaí be alerted and waiting for them when they landed.

The Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner, with 249 passengers and 14 crew, was about 300 kilometres southwest of Ireland when the crew clearance permission to turn around.

The flight initially routed north off the Irish coast for a time while the crew dumped aviation fuel to ensure they landed within safety limits.

Airport fire crews were standing by for the aircraft when it landed at 6.11pm. The aircraft was directed to a remote taxiway where it was met by airport police officers and gardaí.

The man was removed from the plane and taken into garda custody while other officers spoke to the crew and took witness statements.

The man’s baggage was removed from the aircraft, in accordance with security procedures, before the flight was able to continue it’s journey.

Photo: © Pat Flynn 2015
Gardaí and Airport Police officers were waiting for the flight when it landed – Photo: © Pat Flynn 2015

Gardaí confirmed that a 28-year-old had been taken into custody and was being questioned about the incident.

A spokesman also confirmed that no assault had taken place and that no damage was caused to the aircraft but that the man is likely to appear in court this morning (Wednesday).

Earlier this month, an Air Canada flight diverted to Shannon Airport after a 79-year-old first class passenger became disruptive and bit and scratched a cabin crew member.

The woman, believed to be originally from Estonia but flying on a Canadian passport, was travelling from Frankfurt in Germany to the Canadian city of Toronto.

She was arrested on arrival at Shannon Airport but was later released without charge. While a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions it’s not expected that any further action will take place.

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