A PILOT was forced to land his plane after a Southampton stag party caused problems on board.

It has been reported that the Ryanair flight was flying from London Luton airport to Bratislava in Slovakia.

The groom on the stag party has been named as Joshua Mariner, 26, below, who is due to marry fiancee Abi Whitmore next month.

Daily Echo:

But it was forced to land in the German capital of Berlin, below, en route to eject six members of the bachelor party

Daily Echo: Berlin

The six members of the 12-strong group were said to have become unruly during the flight, forcing the pilot to make an unscheduled stop in Berlin and remove the passengers concerned from the flight.

It is reported that one of the men stripped naked while on the flight.

Reports in Germany say the men became aggressive when they were refused alcohol.

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Local police said the drunken Britons, aged 25 to 28, were met by officers upon landing at Schoenefeld airport.

The men were taken into custody but then released later

They now each face fines of up to 25,000 euros (£19,700) and civil claims from the airline.

The remaining 164 passengers on the plane, including the other six members of the stag party not involved in the incident, then continued their journey to Slovakia.

A Ryanair spokesman said: "This flight from London Luton to Bratislava diverted to Berlin after a number of passengers became disruptive in-flight.

"The aircraft landed normally and police removed and detained these individuals at Berlin Schonefeld Airport.

"We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police."

Alexander Koller, a passenger on the plane, was quoted as saying:  "The passengers were a disgrace - by the way, (they were) not the only drunken, obnoxious people on this flight by any means.

"The fact that they were allowed to board at all after making a huge nuisance of themselves in the departure hall at Luton and being so drunk that some were struggling to stand, was an even bigger disgrace. 

"It was a total failure by Ryanair's ground staff at the gate and by the cabin crew who should have spotted them. This was not hard given that they were extremely loud and obnoxious whilst boarding and finding their seats."

A spokesman for German federal police said: "Six young men were removed from a flight by the captain last night for their behaviour. 

“As a result, an unscheduled landing was made at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, the federal police boarded the plane and cautions were given out.

“A group of young Brits were travelling from London to Bratislava with Ryanair for a stag party on Friday night. During the flight, six of the twelve men disrupted the safety on board and did not follow the instructions of the cabin crew.

“The captain in control of the 170-passenger flight decided to make an unscheduled stop 8.30pm. At Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, federal police took the drunken men, all from Southampton, after the captain had banned them from the air.

“The police officers issues the 25 to 28-year-old men cautions under the Aviation Security Act. This is punishable with a fine of up to 25,000 Euro, and a civil claim from the airline might follow.

“After establishing their identities, the six young men, which included the groom, the federal police left.”
 


Do you know the stag party? Email newsdesk@dailyecho.co.uk.