Man arrested after trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Belfast

Greg Toppo | USATODAY

A plane headed from Rome to Chicago made an unexpected landing in Northern Ireland this weekend as police arrested a disruptive passenger, authorities said.

The United Airlines flight landed in Belfast early Saturday evening, forcing most of its 283 passengers and crew to spend the night at local hotels or in makeshift beds at the airport.

The plane finally took off for Chicago 23 hours later, the Belfast International Airport Constabulary said, minus one passenger: a 42-year-old man with dual Italian and American nationality who was charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft, disruptive behavior on board an aircraft and common assault.

Airport officials did not immediately elaborate on what the passenger allegedly did, but said he remained in custody on Sunday and was set to appear in at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday.

The flight, UA971, touched down at 6:59 p.m. local time on Saturday to "offload" the disruptive passenger, the airport authority said. NBC News reported that the passenger was "extremely verbally abusive" to a woman even before he boarded the flight in Rome.

Rick Sliter, 42, from San Diego, told the Daily Mail that he'd heard the passenger "was really being a nut job, cursing people out, staring at people and changing his shirt four or five times in the bathroom."

Sliter told NBC News that he believed an air marshal notified flight attendants, who spoke with the captain.

Once the flight was on the ground, he said, police "had to take some time to remove [the passenger] from the flight, and potentially interview some of the passengers." But afterwards, Sliter said, "everything was very calm, relaxed almost lackadaisical."

He said the refueled plane taxied back onto the runway and was moments from taking off once more when the crew announced that they would be stuck in Northern Ireland.

"We were on the main runway — then the captain announced it was two minutes over the time they could do time in cockpit due to federal work regulations. People thought he was joking."

Because the flight crew had exceeded the number of hours they were permitted to work, the 269 passengers and 14 crew had to wait until Sunday to continue their journey.

"I fully understand the compliance with FAA regulations," said Sliter, who was traveling with his 70-year-old mother and two children, aged 8 and 10. "But there was zero sense of urgency. Our bags are still on the plane."

Airport officials described passengers as "remarkably calm and understanding," and said one female passenger "headed into Belfast to make use of this unexpected opportunity to see the sights."

Because there wasn't enough hotel space available locally, the Belfast airport called in more staff, distributed water and blankets and opened two rooms at the airport for the passengers, many of whom spent the night sleeping on the floor.

Passengers were given a $23 voucher for meals, later increased to $70, Sliter said, But he said there were long lines at the terminal's limited cafes, which stayed open late to accommodate the stranded passengers.

In a statement, United said it would refund passengers' Rome-to-Chicago flight cost and offer "the choice of a travel certificate or miles for our MileagePlus loyalty program."

Just over a week earlier, the Belfast International Airport Constabulary had issued a warning to passengers "to respect their fellow travellers by not engaging in unruly or boisterous behavior" before or during flights. It said that in several recent cases, individual fliers and groups "were turned back at departure gates or offloaded after boarding because they'd over-stepped the mark."

It added, "We're not trying to stop customers from having a good time but there have been occasions when boisterous behavior, often alcohol related, has caused problems. This leads to obvious disappointment for the individuals and their companions."

Contributing: AP