Man arrested after alleged assault on plane forced to divert to Shannon Airport

The Jet2 flight diverted to Shannon Airport Picture: Nicholas T Ansell/PA

A man has been arrested after an alleged assault on a plane heading from Glasgow to Tenerife which had to divert to Ireland.

An Garda Síochána said they were alerted shortly after 5:30pm on Tuesday to reports of a “disturbance” on the Jet2 flight.

The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Co. Clare.

An Garda Siochána said in a statement: “The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport, where Gardaí boarded the plane.

“During the incident, a woman in her 20s was assaulted.

“A male in his late teens was arrested in connection with the incident under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

“He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda station in County Clare.

“Investigations are ongoing.”

The man who has been arrested is understood to be from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Jet2 said a standby aircraft and crew was immediately flown to Shannon Airport to take customers to Tenerife.

The firm apologised to customers for the delay and pledged to fully support the investigation.