Drunk Briton arrested at Alicante airport after 'trying to open plane door mid-air'

A drunk British man has been arrested at a Spanish airport after trying to open a plane door mid-flight.

Spanish police were waiting when the plane touched down at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport and arrested the 28-year-old man.

The incident happened on Thursday on board an Easyjet flight from Gatwick Airport, according to Spanish newspaper Informacion.es.

The MailOnline reports that the suspect was said to have been so drunk that he did not realise the plane was still in the air when he tried to open the door, allegedly “to get off quicker”.

He had already been disturbing some passengers with his drunken behaviour.

Passengers helped the cabin crew restrain the man, who is reported to have become aggressive and compromised the flight’s safety.

The pilot was forced to call the control tower to request the presence of the Civil Guard on touch-down, Informacion.es said.

The news site said: “The traveller boarded already drunk but his condition worsened during the flight, since the altitude enhances the effects of alcohol.

“At one point, he got into a fight with other travellers, whom he attacked after insulting and provoking them. When the company's onboard personnel intervened, he also tried to hit them.”

The site continued: “In the midst of a brawl, he tried to open the plane door to get off, without being aware that they were in mid-flight, and then tried to access the cabin.”

According to the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency, the route from London to Alicante sees the second-highest number of on-flight incidents, with 184 complaints recorded last year.

Drunk Britons are reportedly the reason for most incidents.