Unison reports
AN airline pilot suffered a broken nose and a flight despatcher was knocked to the ground during an "air-rage" row at Dublin Airport.
The fracas happened on board a 66-seat Aer Arann ATR-72 plane at the airport on Saturday afternoon.
The twin turbo-prop aircraft, flight RE 623 from Dublin to Cork, was due to depart at 2.30pm but was delayed by 1½ hours because of the incident.
"Air-rage incidents on domestic flights are extremely rare. You hear about them on international flights.
"This is the first we've had to deal with on Aer Arann," an airline spokesperson said.
The aircraft's captain was taken to Beaumont Hospital, where X-rays showed he had sustained a fractured nose.
None of the cabin crew was hurt during the incident on board the aircraft, which was on its stand at the airport.
Airport police were summoned to the aircraft and gardai became involved later, a spokesman said.
Two men, both from Cork and in their early 20s, were arrested and brought to Whitehall garda station.
Two men were later charged in connection with the incident under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act and released on bail.
They are due to appear at Dublin District Court on Monday, September 13