Airport worker punches passenger after complaint over 13-hour delay

An airport worker has apparently punched a passenger holding a baby after a 13-hour Easyjet flight delay at Nice airport.

Witness Arabella Arkwright managed to capture pictures of the incident, which occurred as passengers waited to board flight EZY2122 from Nice to London Luton.

See also: 30 passengers bumped off Easyjet flight from Glasgow to Luton

See also: Plane passengers strap down drunk man covered in blood

Ms Arkwright said the man was holding his baby when his wife started venting her frustrations to an airport worker, who was believed to be employed with the airport's special assistance provider Samsic.

She took a picture of the moment and shared it on Twitter.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, she explained: "Everyone was having the most appalling day and then, all of a sudden, a man holding a baby gets whacked.

"He said nothing, smirked, showed no interest or concern for the family.

"Then out of nowhere, he just whacked him. My husband, who's 64, had to pull the man off him and hold him against a glass door. Everyone was appalled."

She added that the victim, who was left with a "big mark" on his eye, got a round of applause when they finally boarded the plane.

Easyjet said the delay was due to a technical fault and that a replacement aircraft had to be sent from London Gatwick.

A number of passengers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the delay.

According to The Sun, an airline spokesman said: "Easyjet is very concerned to see this picture and can confirm the person in the photo is not an Easyjet member of staff nor do they work for Easyjet's ground handling agents in Nice.

"We are urgently taking this up with Nice Airport and their special assistance provider Samsic who we understand the person photographed works for."