People cheered on as rowdy passengers were dragged off an EasyJet flight after the plane from Manchester was forced to divert.

The flight was on its way to Corfu from Manchester on Thursday when it was forced to divert to Milan.

Footage of the incident showed passengers applauding as a man was taken off the flight by Italian officers.

A stewardess reportedly had to restrain the passenger who was ‘wobbling backwards and forwards’ in his seat.

Onlookers reported that a woman holding a bottle of vodka was also dragged off the plane,but this was not captured on camera.

One said: ‘We were about halfway through the flight and there was a little bit of obstruction at the back.

Footage of flight EZY2061 showed a passenger being taken off the plane by police in Milan following an emergency diversion

‘The stewardess was spending a lot of time back there,to the point she wasn’t leaving his side.

‘The captain came over the intercom saying they were going to make an emergency landing because of disorderly conduct and that there was an incident.’

They added that police in Milan attempted to handcuff the disruptive passenger,who was clinging to the staircase as he was removed from the aircraft.

Police vehicles were parked outside the aircraft for 30 to 40 minutes,the passenger claimed.

The flight continued to the Greek island after a 90-minute delay.

A spokesperson for EasyJet said: ‘Flight EZY2061 from Manchester to Corfu on 24 September diverted to Milan and was met by police due to the disruptive behaviour of a customer onboard. The flight then continued to Corfu.

‘Our cabin crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately,to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time. We take these incidents seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard.

‘The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.’