A Ryanair flight was forced to divert after a passenger "kicked off for no reason" prompting staff to call for help.
Two "disruptive" passengers were marched off the FR3232 flight from Manchester to Malaga which was diverted to Madrid on Thursday.
Holidaymakers were left fuming with one passenger onboard the jet claiming that at least one of the men was drunk.
The witness told how two heroic off-duty police officers were forced to intervene after cabin crew called for assistance over the tannoy mid-flight.
Ryanair said the plane continued on from Madrid to Malaga but that the incident caused an 80-minute delay for passengers.
Images sent to the Manchester Evening News from a passenger onboard show Spanish police officers inside the cabin.
A Ryanair spokesperson said the flight's captain called ahead to request for Guardia Civil assistance on arrival in Madrid and that both passengers were subsequently removed from the plane.
One holidaymaker who witnessed the drama said one man was kicking off with another passenger for no reason.
They added: "It was a man who was drunk. He kicked off on another passenger for no apparent reason.
"Some off-duty Merseyside police officers on the flight by chance took him to the back of the plane - and then we got diverted.
"The off-duty police guys really helped the cabin crew, who did an announcement to ask for assistance."
The passenger also shared an image of Guardia Civil officers and vehicles on the tarmac at Madrid after the plane touched down.
"Everyone was pretty good natured in the end but obviously not happy about a massive delay to their journey," they added.
Ryanair apologised to all affected passengers for the delay and described it as "beyond our control".
The airline said in a statement: "This flight from Manchester to Malaga diverted to Madrid after two passengers became disruptive during the flight.
"Crew called ahead to request for Guardia Civil assistance on arrival in Madrid. The aircraft landed normally and both passengers were removed from the plane.
"The flight continued to Malaga following a delay of 80 mins. Ryanair apologises to affected passengers for this delay which was beyond our control."
The Mirror has contacted Guardia Civil for further comment.
