A Jet2 flight was forced to return to Stansted due to an “extremely disruptive passenger”
A woman has been arrested after two RAF jets were scrambled to escort a Jet2 flight back to Stansted Airport.
The “extremely disruptive passenger”, 25, was on board a flight from Stansted to Dalaman in Turkey on Saturday when the pilot was forced to return to the London airport.
Essex Police confirmed that a woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and endangering an aircraft.
A Jet2 spokeswoman said: “We are aware of an incident regarding an extremely disruptive passenger on a flight from Stansted to Dalaman earlier this evening.
“The aircraft has returned safely and we are liaising with the relevant authorities to support their investigation.
“We are working hard to ensure the remaining customers reach their destination as soon possible.”
An Essex Police spokeswoman said: “We were made aware of a disruptive passenger on an inbound flight to Stansted this evening, Saturday June 22.
“There is a possibility that residents nearby may have heard a loud noise, often associated with a sonic boom, as the aircraft descended into Stansted airspace.
“Officers attended and arrested a 25-year-old woman on suspicion of two assaults and endangering an aircraft. She remains in custody.”
A Royal Air Force spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that RAF quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby scrambled to escort a commercial flight into Stansted shortly after take-off due to reports of a disruptive passenger.”
The two Typhoon fighter aircraft caused a sonic boom as the plane was escorted back to Stansted, prompting people to call 999 as they feared there had been an explosion.
One man described the noise as a “huge bang” which “nearly blew my window out”.
Bishop’s Stortford police tweeted: “Large number of 999 calls coming in about a loud explosion.
“We have liaised with @EssexPoliceUK who are confirming that this is a sonic boom from a passing aircraft.”
Paris Air Show FILE – In this Monday, April 29, 2019 file photo, Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg speaks during a news conference after the company’s annual shareholders meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago. Boeing’s CEO says the company made a “mistake” in handling a problematic cockpit warning system in 737 Max jets ahead of two deadly crashes of the top-selling plane. Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg told reporters in Paris on Sunday, June 16 that the company’s communication “was not consistent,” calling that “unacceptable.”(AP Photo/Jim Young, file)
CEO: Boeing made mistake in handling warning-system problem|ANGELA CHARLTON,//Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — The chief executive of Boeing said the company made a “mistake” in handling a problematic cockpit warning system in its 737 Max jets before two crashes killed 346 people, and he promised transparency as the aircraft maker works to get the grounded plane back in flight.
Speaking before the industry-wide Paris Air Show, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told reporters Boeing’s communication with regulators, customers and the public “was not consistent. And that’s unacceptable.”
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has faulted Boeing for not telling regulators for more than a year that a safety indicator in the cockpit of the top-selling plane didn’t work as intended.
Boeing and the FAA have said the warning light wasn’t critical for flight safety. But the botched communication has eroded trust in Boeing as the company struggles to rebound from the passenger jet crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
“We clearly had a mistake in the implementation of the alert,” Muilenburg said.
Pilots also have expressed anger that Boeing did not inform them about the new software that’s been implicated in the fatal crashes.
Muilenburg expressed confidence that the Boeing 737 Max would be cleared to fly again later this year by U.S. and all other global regulators.
“We will take the time necessary” to ensure the Max is safe, he said.
The model has been grounded worldwide for three months, and regulators need to approve Boeing’s long-awaited fix to the software before it can return to the skies.
Muilenburg called the crashes of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines jets a “defining moment” for Boeing, but said he thinks the result will be a “better and stronger company.”
In the United States, Boeing has faced scrutiny from members of Congress and the FAA over how it reported the problem involving a cockpit warning light.
The company discovered in 2017 that a warning light designed to alert pilots when sensors measuring the angle of a plane’s nose might be wrong only worked if airlines had purchased a separate feature.
The angle-measuring sensors have been implicated in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last October and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March. The sensors malfunctioned, alerting software to push the noses of the planes down. The pilots were unable to take back control of the planes.
Boeing told the FAA of what it learned in 2017 after the Indonesia crash.
Pilot Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union that represents American Airlines pilot, the Allied Pilots Association, said it’s good Muilenburg was willing to revisit the cockpit alert problem and to acknowledge Boeing mishandled conveying information.
But Tajer said he thinks Boeing made a series of unprecedented communication missteps that have “created a massive headwind to rebuilding trust.”
Restoring trust in the Max is Boeing’s No. 1 priority, Muilenburg said — ahead of an upgraded 777 and work on its upcoming NMA long-range jet.
The Max, the newest version of Boeing’s best-selling 737, is critical to the company’s future. The Max was a direct response to rival Airbus’ fuel-efficient A320neo, one of the European plane maker’s most popular jets; Airbus has outpaced Boeing in sales in the category.
The Max crashes, a slowing global economy, and damage from tariffs and trade fights threaten to cloud the mood at the Paris Air Show. Along with its alternating-years companion, the Farnborough International Airshow near London, the Paris show is usually a celebration of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Muilenburg forecast a limited number of orders at the Paris event, the first major air show since the crashes, but said it was still important for Boeing to attend to talk to customers and others in the industry.
He also announced that Boeing was raising its long-term forecast for global plane demand, notably amid sustained growth in Asia.
Boeing expects the world’s airlines will need 44,000 planes within 20 years, up from a previous forecast of 43,000 planes.
Muilenburg projected that within 10 years, the overall aviation market — including passenger jets, cargo and warplanes — would be worth $8.7 trillion, compared to earlier forecasts of $8.1 trillion.
Both estimates are higher than the ones from Airbus, which sees slower growth ahead.
However, Airbus is heading into the Paris show with confidence. It is expected to announce several plane sales and unveil its A321 XLR long-range jet. Airbus executives said the Max crashes aren’t affecting their sales strategy, but are a reminder of the importance to the whole industry of ensuring safety.
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Rachel Lerman in San Francisco contributed to this report
