When Typhoons scramble to resolve family fight aboard PIA flight

British police arrested two men on a Pakistan International Airlines plane after fighter jets were scrambled to escort it to a London airport yesterday following an “incident.”
Police said the men were detained on suspicion of endangering an aircraft after the plane, which was carrying 300 passengers from the Pakistani city of Lahore to Manchester in northwest England, was diverted to Stansted airport outside London.
“Two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft,” police in Essex said in a statement.
“They are aged 30 and 41 and are being taken to a police station for interview by detectives.”
The incident was not believed to be terrorism-related. An airline source told AFP the incident had stemmed from a family row on board.
“There was a family of eight to 10 people on the plane and they were quarreling among each other,” the PIA source said.
“When PIA staff approached them and asked them to calm down, they told them to go away otherwise they would blow up the plane.
“PIA staff became scared and they raised the alarm to avoid any untoward situation.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that Typhoon jets had been launched from a Royal Air Force base after the incident was signalled by the plane’s crew, shortly before the plane was due to land in Manchester at 1230 GMT.