travelling-blogger

comments

A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing after an unruly passenger posed a mid-air security threat.

The Boeing 767 was carrying more than 200 passengers when it diverted to Albuquerque so that the disruptive man could be removed from the aircraft by police.

Passenger Lauri Springer live tweeted the ordeal as the plane turned around and was met by police cars when it touched down in the New Mexico city on Thursday evening.

A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger made threats

Passenger Lauri Springer live tweeted the ordeal after the pilot said there was a 'security issue'

Ms Springer said she learned there was a problem on board when the pilot informed passengers that the aircraft was turning around due to a 'security issue'.

When the plane arrived at the gate police officers boarded the aircraft and detained a disruptive passenger who was making threats, she said.

The University of Alabama student, who was heading to California for a family holiday, wrote in a tweet: 'And then everyone applauded the police officers and pilot and flight attendants for handling it so well.'

The disruptive passenger was not charged with a crime but he was not allowed back on the plane

Passenger Lauri Springer was heading to California for a family holiday when the incident occurred

The plane spent around two hours in Albuquerque before resuming its journey to Los Angeles

Airport spokesman Daniel Jiron told The Albuquerque Journal that Sunport police arrested the passenger once Delta Flight 81 landed.

Mr Jiron told the newspaper that he doesn't know the nature of the incident that made the pilot feel he had to land the plane.

He said the FBI was called, which is standard in such situations.

The passenger was not charged but he was not allowed back on the plane when it departed for Los Angeles around two hours later.

Passengers had spent nearly seven hours on the plane before they finally arrived in Los Angeles.