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A Manchester father has recounted the "horrible" ordeal his family endured after their Tui flight from Cancun was forced to divert to a remote Canadian town following a passenger's threatening behaviour. Mr Stockford, travelling with his wife and four daughters after an all-inclusive holiday in Mexico, described how a male passenger became "aggressive and alarming" during the journey to Manchester Airport. The man, seated directly behind the family's children, made repeated attempts to leave the aircraft mid-flight before uttering "disturbing" comments about a "man with a knife." These remarks terrified fellow travellers, particularly the many young passengers on board. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The Boeing 787-9 was subsequently redirected to Gander, a small town in Newfoundland, where police took the disruptive individual into custody. Cabin crew, assisted by a doctor who was among the passengers, managed to restrain the man after his behaviour escalated. However, as the aircraft approached the Pacific Ocean, the captain determined he posed too great a risk to continue the journey and made the decision to land in Canada. "The plane landed quite firm, he tried to get up, Tui staff shouted 'sit back down, now!' and kids behind us were crying, thinking they were gonna' die," Mr Stockford recalled. "They were saying, 'why do I feel like I'm dying, mummy? It was horrible." The disruptive passenger's wife later attributed his conduct to diazepam that he had purchased from a taxi driver whilst in Mexico, according to the Manchester Evening News. When the aircraft touched down in Gander during the early hours of Friday morning, passengers faced an immediate shock stepping off the plane. Having left Mexico where temperatures reached 32C, travellers found themselves in just 3C wearing shorts, t-shirts and summer attire wholly unsuitable for the Canadian climate. "We entered a country at 3C having been in a 32C country. We had shorts on, t-shirts, babies weren't wrapped up because of that," Mr Stockford explained. Despite the captain's assurances that passengers would be "looked after" with transport, complimentary accommodation and meals, those promises quickly proved hollow. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Manchester school in lockdown with pupil arrested after three people injured in suspected stabbing UK must consider 'unthinkable' step of returning to coal-fired power, says new study Labour must stop 'rolling out red carpet' for Big Tech building AI centre in Britain, MPs urge Nearly 400 travellers disembarked expecting proper support, only to encounter what Mr Stockford described as numerous problems and minimal communication from the holiday company throughout their ordeal. The transfer arrangements proved woefully inadequate for the stranded holidaymakers, with Tui providing only a small 12-seater bus to transport approximately 360 passengers to hotels located several miles away. Mr Stockford attempted to arrange a taxi for his young children but was turned away because the vehicle lacked a car seat, which Canadian law requires. After a three-hour wait, the family finally reached their accommodation only to discover they could use the room for fewer than four hours, as local hotels were largely booked due to an event in the town. Upon returning to Gander airport on Friday, passengers learned they faced a further 14-hour wait before departure. "Fourteen hours on the airport floor, cold floors, hard floor, babies, young kids, families. Just not taken into consideration," Mr Stockford said. Vouchers were distributed, though food supplies at the airport were largely depleted. The residents of Gander, a town renowned for assisting stranded travellers most notably during the 9/11 attacks that inspired the musical Come From Away, once again demonstrated their generosity. "Loads of locals flooded in and helped everyone get back to the airport. We've got a lift back to the airport for free, which was lovely," Mr Stockford said. The flight had originally been due to land at Manchester Airport at approximately 7.15am on Friday, yet the family did not reach home until Saturday. The business owner stated the experience has left lasting damage, with financial losses for both himself and his wife. "My daughters are nervous now to fly again because of the situation," he said. "Tui, from the start of being diverted to the end, just completely failed us." GB News has contacted Tui for comment. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
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