AN ENRAGED passenger locked himself in a plane toilet and refused to come out before being dragged off the aircraft by police.

The easyJet pilot was forced to abort the landing and the plane spent an additional 40 minutes in the air and on the runway as staff tried to encourage him to come out.

When the plane was finally able to land Sussex Police were called.

A video taken by a witness shows three officers pinning the man down then dragging him off the aircraft, an act which was applauded by passengers.

The man can be heard swearing loudly at officers as he tries to break free.

One passenger, who helped police restrain the man, can also be heard saying, “if you try to bite me, you’ll get a punch in the face”.

One passenger, Tom Potter, 24, told the Daily Mail: “He was this angry, wild animal, and didn’t want taming.

“He was obviously really angry when the air stewards blocked him from locking himself in the bathroom after he knew police were coming.

“And then he sat for about 15 minutes just diagonally away from me, glaring at people, swearing at anyone who looked at him and telling them to die if they made eye contact.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “On Saturday, we were made aware of an incident on board an easyJet flight from Faro to Gatwick Airport.

“The suspect was arrested on arrival.

“Kieran Crowley, 44, unemployed, of Howell Walk, London, has been arrested and charged with several offences.”

These include “using threatening or abusive words or behaviour which were racially aggravated, “behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew, “two counts of assault on an emergency worker” and assault on an emergency worker in the exercise of their duty”.

The spokesman added: “The defendant has been released on bail and is due to appear before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on June 19.”