A 22 year old holidaymaker attempted to open the doors of a plane at 36,000 feet because he thought it was a flight simulator, according to reports.

The Thomson Airways flight from Palma, Majorca, to Newcastle was diverted to Gatwick, where the man, from Northumberland, was arrested.

According to witnesses, when his friends tried to restrain him, he replied: “It’s okay, we are just on a simulator.”

Passengers and crew took him back to his seat and he was restrained with seat belts until the plane landed.