Drunk passengers removed from Melbourne plane 'were members of Irish hurling and football teams'
A Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Sydney was delayed last night as drunk passengers had to be removed before take-off and the people involved were reportedly members of Irish hurling and football teams.
A major Gaelic sports event, the Pearses 7's 2016, had taken place over the weekend and the passengers are described as being from teams involved in the event.
The flight was delayed for 80 minutes while 16 passengers (male and female) were removed from the plane. Some of those chose to accompany friends who were asked to leave.
Daily Mail reports that some of those involved were from a Sydney-based Gaelic club called Michael Cusacks, who had participated in the tournament. Others involved were from other GAA clubs, say reports.
Efforts to contact the club have so far been unsuccessful.
Congrats to our hurlers yesterday, winners at the Melbourne 7s! #MC16 https://t.co/ttxSg8HOib
— Michael Cusacks GAC (@michaelcusacks) February 21, 2016
Jetstar said in a statement: “We take safety and security seriously and have strict rules on alcohol use, including the right to deny boarding or offload intoxicated passengers.
“We don't tolerate disruptive behaviour by passengers on our flights, so our crew made a decision with the captain that a number of passengers would not travel on one of our Melbourne to Sydney services overnight.”
Flight staff called the Australian Federal Police for assistance, but so far no charges have been laid.
