Ed Sheeran found himself in a harrowing air-rage incident when an intoxicated passenger allegedly subjected the plane's crew to racial abuse.
"The A Team" singer, aged 32, was about an hour into his British Airways flight from Miami to Heathrow on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, when an unruly passenger from Scotland began demanding more drinks. Upon landing, six armed police officers boarded the aircraft to restrain the disruptive individual.
Ed Sheeran, a father of two, with his childhood sweetheart Cherry Seaborn, 31, was captured on camera, seemingly carefree, and even posed for selfies with fans. However, moments later, the situation took a drastic turn when the inebriated passenger hurled profanities, shouting, "F*** you, you c**** – take all of your annoying c*** faces out of my f****** eye range." This person is also accused of making offensive monkey noises as part of a racially charged taunt.
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According to The Sun, an off-duty police officer and other passengers took it upon themselves to subdue the unruly passenger, eventually strapping him into a jump seat.
Ed Sheeran had been in the United States for a performance on Sunday, October 22, 2023, attended by notable figures such as football sensation Lionel Messi.
A fellow traveler on Sheeran's flight to the UK, Dan Haughin, 41, hailing from Manchester, recounted the chaotic scene, saying, "Everything just descended into chaos. The things this guy was saying and doing were just obscene. When they refused to give him any booze, he started making monkey noises and gestures at cabin crew. The language coming out of his mouth was worse than you'd hear at a football match. He was lucky nobody knocked him out; everyone was horrified. There were loads of kids watching."
He added, "The bloke must have been drunk when he boarded because the crew refused to serve him just an hour in, and they hadn't been round with the trolley. At one point, we were told we might be diverted, and the pilot even came on trying to reassure everyone. A few people shouted 'Good riddance' when the guy was led away. I hope he gets what's coming to him. Nobody should behave like that."
The Metropolitan Police released a statement regarding the incident, saying, "At 1.59 am on October 24, officers at Heathrow received a report that a passenger on a flight arriving from Miami had made racist comments towards other passengers and crew members. Officers met the aircraft, and a 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He remains in custody."
British Airways also responded to the incident, stating, "Disruptive behavior will never be tolerated on board our aircraft, and we will always take the appropriate action."
