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Police raced onto the runway at Newcastle International Airport to stop a flight only moments from take-off.

Passengers say they were puzzled as officers pulled over the Stansted-bound Flybe service and took a man from the plane.

Newcastle city councillor Doreen Huddart was on board when the drama unfolded.

She said: “The flight was due to go at 2.25pm and it was already a little delayed, but we were on board, the engine was revved up, we were moving, and then we suddenly stopped.

“The doors opened and police came on and started talking to a couple of chaps about six or seven rows in front of me. There were half a dozen police and cars outside.

“One young, well-built man who was probably in his 20s went off with them.

“Everyone looked around expecting us to then be on our way, but then we were told we’d all have to get off because the pilot didn’t feel it was safe to fly.

“We got off and were put in a holding area, then at around 5.15pm we were told we would have to go back into the departure lounge.

“Nobody said what the incident was about or why it was not safe – the police said there was nothing wrong with the plane but the pilot had decided.”

Northumbria Police said officers were called to reports of disruption aboard the flight but that no arrests were made.

“At 4.10pm we were called by airport staff to help remove a group of drunk and disorderly passengers from a plane at Newcastle Airport.

“The group was escorted off the plane and were spoken to. Officers were at scene to support airport staff.”

Flybe’s chief commercial officer Paul Simmons apologised to passengers for the inconvenience but said it had been as a result of “threatening an overly abusive behaviour”.

"Flybe sincerely regrets the inconvenience experienced by passengers this afternoon due to the delay of the above flight,” he said.

“This resulted from the threatening and overly abusive behaviour exhibited towards the cabin crew immediately prior to departure, initially initiated by four members of a stag party.

“Flybe apologises unreservedly to the majority of passengers affected by the unacceptable actions of a few, but the safety of its passengers and crew remains the airline’s number one priority at all times.

“As such, and in line with its zero-tolerance policy with any form of on-board behaviour that might in any way compromise the safe operation of any flight, the captain reported the situation to the police, who took the necessary immediate action.

“All 68 passengers were offloaded and those not involved in the incident have been accommodated on an alternative flight.

“Flybe once again apologises most sincerely to those passengers affected.”

However, members of the group accused Flybe of “making a mountain out of a mole hill” and claimed they had done nothing wrong.

“We’d been on a stag do and had a really lovely weekend in Newcastle,” said London taxi driver Stephen Latimer, 47. “Coming back we were using Flybe and when we boarded one guy asked an attendant if he could use the toilet.”

He claims, the attendant said yes to the request. Soon after, the plane began to taxi.

“She banged on the door and told him he had to come straight out, but he was halfway through,” he continued.

“When he finished he came back to his seat, but they stopped the plane, police came on and he was taken off.

“We were kept in the airport as they said they had to get a new plane and crew, which they did, but then when we were called to the gate again they singled us all out from the others and said Flybe were refusing to fly our whole group.

“It’s disgusting. They made a mountain out of a molehill.

“And now we’ve been left with two options which is to try and get a National Express bus or make it down to Kings Cross by train - but my car’s still at Stansted.

“It’s a terrible state of affairs. We’d all had good fun this weekend and just wanted to go home and it turned into a nightmare.”

The replacement flight is understood to have eventually taken off at 7.19pm.