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Airplanes of the US airline United Airlines (symbolic image)
Photo: Louis Nastro/ REUTERS
They wanted to fly from London Heathrow to Newark Airport near New York.
Instead, two passengers had to get off in the US state of Maine.
The US airline United announced this on Friday evening (local time).
Flight UA883 made a stopover at Bangor International Airport because two apparently drunk passengers became "unruly," the airline's statement said.
The plane, which originally had 150 passengers on board, later continued its journey to New Jersey.
Tied up by the flight crew
The US Federal Police FBI has launched an investigation.
An FBI statement said a passenger had a loud argument with his girlfriend during the flight.
When the flight crew intervened, the man became violent.
The crew tied him up with so-called “Flex Cuffs,” disposable plastic handcuffs, but he continued to be aggressive.
The crew then decided to make a stopover.
The man was arrested by police officers at the airport in Maine.
He now faces charges of assault and assault on the flight crew.
He will remain in police custody pending a hearing.
It is still unclear whether the second passenger who had to get out was the man's girlfriend.
However, United Airlines has already announced that both will no longer be allowed to fly with the airline in the future.
vet/AP