‘Drunk easyJet passenger hits security guard’ as police arrest man and woman

A man and woman had been waiting at Bristol Airport to board an easyJet flight bound for Alicante at 5.45pm when the shocking altercation took place

Two people have been arrested after a drunk passenger allegedly punched a security guard on board a flight to Spain.

According to an eyewitness account, a man and woman were waiting at Bristol Airport to board an easyJet flight bound for Alicante at 5.45pm when the altercation took place.

The couple had been prevented from boarding the plane because they were “drunk,” police said, when the man reportedly began yelling at airline staff at the gate.

Airport security and other passengers had come over to de-escalate the situation when the man punched one of the security guards in the face.

Steve Rich, who witnessed the altercation, narrated Bristol Live : “Suddenly, the passenger just threw a fist over one of the guy’s shoulders and just caught the guard in the mouth.”

The 33-year-old, from Wiltshire, said it was “unnecessary” and caused quite a bit of distress from people who saw it.

“The two girls who worked on the (gate) were in tears because it scares them,” she said.

“Before security arrived, these two people said, ‘How are you going to stop us from getting through to get on that flight?’ They were in tears and there were children everywhere, I had my six-year-old.”

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police confirmed the arrests.

“Around 9.30pm on Friday (June 17) Bristol Airport officials responded to a report that members of security staff had been attacked after two people were prevented from boarding a flight for being intoxicated,” they said.

“A 39-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of assault. They were both questioned and given conditional warnings.”

A Bristol Airport spokesman said: “Anti-social, violent or threatening behavior will not be accepted by Bristol Airport or the airlines.

“While such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and will fully support any police investigation.”