Man Causes Serious Commotion Inside a Plane Mid-Flight After Setting His Own Hands on Fire

The Monarch flight was headed for Birmingham airport

An air passenger aboard a flight has caused serious commotion among other passengers after trying to harm himself and another person.

A plane travelling to a British airport has been forced to turn back after a passenger caused commotion and "set fire to his own hands".

According to Daily Star, after setting fire to his hands, the man then allegedly attempted to burn a steward's face with a lighter before the Monarch Airlines jet returned to Tenerife.

Travellers faced lengthy delays after the plane was grounded while police arrived to arrest the suspect.

The flight had been bound for Birmingham Airport after leaving the Canary Islands yesterday.

A spokeswoman for the operator said the flight was diverted because of "disruptive behaviour".

One passenger onboard said the man started setting fire to his hands with lighter fuel soon after the plane took off.

A flight attendant reportedly asked him to hand over the lighter, when he turned the violence on her.

The witness said: "He refused and attempted to light the lighter in her face.

"This information was forwarded to the pilot who decided to ​d​ivert back to Tenerife South airport where the man was arrested.​'"

A spokeswoman for the airline said: "Monarch can confirm that two passengers were offloaded on board Monarch flight ZB933 from Tenerife to Birmingham on October 27 due to disruptive behaviour.

"The flight had departed for Birmingham but diverted back to Tenerife airport where a passenger was subsequently arrested upon arrival.

"Monarch takes a zero tolerance approach to disruptive behaviour on board all of our flights. The safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft is our absolute priority."