DOZENS of drunk and disorderly passengers were dealt with on Essex flights in the last year.

New figures reveal police received 90 reports of people acting drunk and disorderly on planes in and out of Southend and Stansted Airports for 2019.

Of those, two high profile cases brought Southend Airport into the headlines in September.

The first took place just after midnight on September 2 when police were called to a woman who had attacked a member of EasyJet staff.

The 49-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm amid reports to police she had tried to open the plane door mid-flight.

The second incident came days later on September 6, when Zoe Bell attacked a Ryanair cabin crew member and a police officer when her flight from Faro, Portugal landed at Southend.

Bell, 38, admitted her crimes in court last week and will be sentenced in February.

Her guilty pleas have generated concern that the incidents are becoming more regular.

John Hill, 51, of Leigh, said: “I was on a flight to Malaga last year when a couple of people, who had clearly been drinking before and carried on in the flight, were causing a nuisance.

“Thankfully the staff managed to calm them without further issue, but it really does make you feel on edge. You’re stuck with these people and can’t escape.”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Millions of people use Stansted and Southend airports every year and we pleased to say that just a small handful behave in disorderly manner.

“Those acting inconsiderately and unlawfully are dealt with promptly by our officers.

“We have a very productive partnership with both airports and licensed premises to make sure people enjoy themselves safely as they experience the excitement of a holiday.

“In 2019, we received 90 reports of people acting drunk and disorderly within airports in Essex. That’s fewer than than eight incidents a month.

“Our advice to passengers is clear; please consider your welfare and the welfare of others by managing your alcohol intake ahead of arriving at airports, in terminals and on flights.

“It’s against the law to be drunk on a plane and you face action from the airport, police and your flight provider.

“Airlines have a right to refuse to carry passengers if they think they’re a potential risk to the safety of the aircraft, its crew or passengers.”

A spokesman for Airlines UK, the association of all air companies in the country, said: “We all have a duty to protect the wellbeing of passengers and airline crew, who should not have to put up with this kind of behaviour when travelling or going about their jobs.

“Airlines have seen an increase in incidents of verbal and even physical abuse, and this can be incredibly traumatic for those on the receiving end.

“It also poses a potential safety threat. Alcohol is the cause of around half of incidents according to our data and that’s why we’re asking for the Licensing Act to be changed so that in future alcohol sales airside at the airport are regulated in the same way as on the high street.”