Portuguese police boarded an easyJet flight from Belfast at the weekend to remove a passenger, the airline has said.
The flight, EZY3041, flew on Sunday September 10 from Belfast International Airport and police were called to its destination in Faro to deal with a passenger who was "behaving disruptively onboard", easyJet said.
An easyJet spokeswoman said: "easyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time".
“Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority.”
This incident opens the floor to the question of anti-social behavior in airports, as excessive drinking in departure lounges can be the cause of "disruptive behavior".
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: "We operate a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour and are active members of the UKTRF's One Too Many campaign for passengers that advocates personal accountability and the need to travel responsibly."
The One Too Many campaign is a clampdown on anti-social behavior both in airports and on flights.
Punishments for anti-social behavior include being denied boarding, facing up to two years in jail for disrupting a flight, a £5,000 fine for delaying take off, an £80,000 diversion fee if you cause a mid-air incident or an airline ban if you cause a flight to be cancelled.
In relation to alcohol consumption and its influence on antisocial behaviour, the airport spokesman said: "There is prominent signage throughout the terminal to reinforce this message and staff are trained and have the authority to refuse service where necessary."
"Although the decision to permit passengers onto a flight or to serve them alcohol on board is for the airlines, our security and airport police teams work closely with them to identify any potential issues.
"Disruptive passengers are very rare with over six million people passing through our airport this year, but we do believe that one anti-social passenger is one too many.”
