Six Spanish men arrested over in-flight face mask fight

Six Spanish men were arrested at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam on Monday night after refusing to wear their face masks on a flight despite cabin crew orders. The men were arrested for causing a nuisance on the flight from Spain, the Marechaussee confirmed.

The six men were taken into custody at the airport by the Marechaussee, a branch of the military that monitors the borders and airports as part of their policing duties. They are currently in custody and will be interrogated later on Tuesday.

Passengers are required to wear face masks on commercial flights which are governed by Dutch law. The men refused, despite being repeatedly asked to do so, a spokesperson for the Marechaussee told broadcaster NOS.

They also acted in a “rowdy and annoying” manner, the spokesperson said. Two airplanes arrived at Schiphol from Spain between 11 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday, including a Transavia flight from Seville and a TUI flight from Ibiza.

Last year, around 100 complaints were filed by captains about passengers who caused nuisance during flights. Most of them were related to passengers disregarding coronavirus safety measures, NOS noted.