Woman charged over flight assault

The woman has been charged with six offences

A woman arrested after allegedly headbutting a stewardess on a transatlantic flight has been charged with assault and endangering the safety of an aircraft.

The incident on board the Airtours International Flight, packed with 360 passengers, reportedly happened after cabin crew tried to stop the woman from smoking in one of the toilets.

Twenty-six-year-old Zoe Campbell was held by police when the flight from Orlando, Florida, landed at Manchester Airport on Friday.

She was released on bail to appear before a court next week.

Cabin crew supervisor Vanessa Martinez, 28, was treated in hospital for a broken nose after the mid-air scuffle on the A330 Airbus.

The pilot was so concerned about the incident, he put the aircraft into a holding pattern until he was sure it was safe to land.

Reckless action

The woman was understood to have been travelling with her nine-year-old son, another woman and a teenager at the time.

Airtour's Vanessa Martinez suffered a broken nose

Greater Manchester Police said that Ms Campbell, from Withington in Manchester, was charged with six offences.

Under the Air Navigation Act, she stands accused of smoking on board an aircraft, recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft and interfering with the performance of cabin crew.

She was also charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and two offences of common assault.

Ms Campbell will appear before Trafford Magistrates Court in Sale, Greater Manchester, next Tuesday.