Nine arrested for brawl on plane after pregnant woman's WATERS broke

Nine people have been arrested after a violent fight broke out on a holiday plane delayed because a pregnant woman's waters broke.

The altercation happened on a plane at Palma airport in Majorca.

Some of the detainees said they felt 'mistreated' after hours without being given information.

It's alleged that when a passenger got up to ask for explanations from a flight attendant, they snapped: 'Sit down, woman.'

The fracas broke out as the plane was about to take off from Palma airport, having taken off from Morocco but diverted due to the medical emergency.

The nine people arrested were all Moroccan nationals, seven men and two women.

The pilot was about to take off again when he aborted and asked for the intervention of the security forces, who took away those involved in the brawl.

The plane, which was covering the Rabat-Istanbul route, had to land in Palma because one of the passengers went into labour.

After appearing in court, those arrested were released yesterday with charges. 

In an extra twist, the police were waiting for them, who offered them two alternatives: return to their country by plane that same night or enter the detention centre for irregular foreigners. 

Six returned, two went to the centre and the last one was arrested again for fighting with his compatriots and confronting the police in the corridor of the courthouse.

The incident occurred around 8pm on Thursday, when an Air Arabia flight from Rabat to Istanbul requested permission to land at Palma Airport because one of the passengers, in the late stages of pregnancy, had gone into labour and her waters had broken. 

The aircraft landed normally and the woman was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

According to sources, the altercation arose from the delay in taking off again for Turkey. 

The plane had already departed late from Morocco and then remained in Palma for nearly two hours. 

When one of the passengers stood up to ask for an explanation, a flight attendant told her to sit down. 

A brawl ensued in which several passengers exchanged shoves and blows with members of the crew. 

Upon learning what was happening, the captain decided to abort the takeoff and requested the intervention of the security forces, according to Spanish newspaper Diario de Majorca.

Several Civil Guard patrols boarded the plane and interviewed the pilot and other crew members. Officers arrested the nine passengers for causing a public disturbance. The aircraft subsequently resumed its route with the remaining passengers.

The nine detainees were brought before the duty judge in Palma yesterday at midday. All of them exercised their right to remain silent before the magistrate, who ordered their release on bail before the police ultimatum.

The man who was arrested in the courthouse corridor got into a fight with several of his compatriots and then confronted the police, resulting in his arrest for assaulting a public official.

The Daily Mail has contacted Air Arabia for comment.