The pilot of a holiday jet was forced to divert and make an unscheduled landing after two drunken British women attacked his cabin crew with a vodka bottle and tried to open an emergency exit in midair.
Stewards and passengers wrestled with the pair, who had been caught smoking in the lavatory on the flight back from Kos in Greece.
They were overpowered and pinned to the ground as a flight attendant cuffed their hands behind their backs.
Wrestle: The women were restrained on the plane, similar to this one, following their drunken outburst
The pilot apologised and announced that the flight would have to divert to Frankfurt in Germany, where armed police were waiting to arrest the women, aged 26 and 27.
It is understood the pair had been on a package holiday to Kos.
Yesterday a witness told how passengers screamed in fear as crew grappled with the drunken women, who had opened up their duty free in their seats and started drinking heavily.
One of the 214 passengers aboard said: ‘It was a hell of a scene. One of them was lashing out with a vodka bottle after being refused more booze and the other went to the emergency exit yelling, “I want some fresh air”.
‘It was a nightmare – we all thought we had had our chips.’
The pilot put out a Mayday call on Wednesday on the XL Airways flight XLA 237 to Manchester.
It left the island at 2.45pm local time and landed in Frankfurt Main at 4.43pm.
Runways were emptied and other planes forced to stack in the skies so the Boeing 737-900 had a clear landing run.
Armed police boarded the aircraft to arrest the women.
The 26-year-old is expected to face charges of interference with air traffic and attempted assault. Both are likely to receive a bill for the operation and may face legal action from the airline.
The aircraft was delayed for an hour at Frankfurt for refuelling and arrived at Manchester at 6.25pm.
A spokesman at Frankfurt Airport said: ‘This was a most serious situation. If that door had been opened at 30,000ft probably everyone on board would have died.’
Emergency landing: Police were waiting for the two women when the plane touched down at Frankfurt Airport (pictured)
Last night a spokeswoman for XL Airways praised the captain and his five cabin crew, saying: ‘They requested these two ladies behave themselves and when the situation looked like it could get out of hand the crew responded swiftly and bravely.
‘Other passengers joined in to assist and we thank them for their support. People will not tolerate this behaviour.
‘The women had been caught smoking in the toilet. Everyone knows this is totally against the rules.
'They then became abusive to the cabin crew and started to disrupt the other passengers. There were no injuries.’
XL Airways, based at Gatwick, was founded in 2001 and has built up trade offering flights booked through major tour operators.
The women were breathalysed – one had 130 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, the other 180. The legal limit for driving is 80.
It is understood they have been remanded in custody.
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