A 42-year-old British man was given a suspended three-month prison sentence by a Thessaloniki court after his drunken behavior forced a flight from Newcastle to Crete to make an emergency landing in Thessaloniki early Monday.
The Thessaloniki Single-Member Court of Appeals found the man guilty of disobeying the captain’s orders and disturbing the peace during the flight. The sentence was suspended for three years.
The man admitted his actions in court, saying he had been heavily intoxicated, and apologized for his behavior.
His conduct forced the captain to divert the aircraft and land at Thessaloniki airport at about 1.30 a.m.
Airport police arrested the man after the aircraft landed. The flight, operated by TUI, subsequently resumed its journey to Iraklio.
