An elderly man's flatulence forced his flight to make an emergency stop after a fight broke out over his barrage of bottom burps.

Passengers flying with budget Dutch airline Transavia from Dubai to Amsterdam were reportedly put out by the man's continued farting, and asked him to stop.

But the man failed to hold it in, and when even a direct order from the pilot didn't take the wind out of his sails, two particularly incensed passengers took matters into their own hands.

Local media reported that two Dutchmen sat next to the trumper started a fight with the man, which escalated to the point where the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled stop.

On landing in Vienna, armed police boarded the plane to remove the men who caused the ruckus, along with two sisters who were seated next to them.

The four weren't arrested, but the StraitsTimes reported that they were banned from the airline for misbehaviour and verbal abuse. Transavia didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

It's not the first time that farts have been blamed for flight disruption: last year there were reports that an American Airlines flight had been evacuated due to a foul-smelling fart, but the airline said it was a mechanical fault.

And back in 2006, the same airline brought on bomb-sniffing dogs after passengers warned of a sulphurous smell from burning matches... however, the cause was less sinister. It turned out a woman was attempting to mask the smell of her trump by striking the match. ®