Flight to London diverts to Maine following 'in-flight altercation'
An incident involving two passengers forced a TUI Airways flight to divert to Maine, authorities said.
TUI flight 49 from Cancun to London landed at Bangor International Airport around 9:20 p.m. local time on July 8 “after the crew reported a passenger disturbance,” the Federal Aviation Administration told Paste BN in an emailed statement.
“The flight departed from Cancun International Airport in Mexico and was headed to London Gatwick Airport in England,” the agency said. The flight left Cancun around 4 p.m. local time, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the plane stopped in Maine “due to an in-flight altercation between two passengers.”
“Upon arrival, CBP officers removed both individuals from the aircraft, and they were returned to their home countries on separate outbound flights,” they said in an emailed statement. The agency did not share additional specifics about the altercation or the passengers involved.
TUI did not immediately respond to Paste BN’s request for comment.
The FAA has received 835 reports of unruly passengers on airlines so far this year, according to its website. The agency received a total of 2,102 in 2024, and 2,076 the year prior.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.