A PASSENGER has been given a bill for £12,000 after his "abusive and aggressive" behaviour on a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport caused a diversion to Manchester.

The fine, and a lifetime ban, was given by Jet2.com as part of a crackdown.

The incident is one of a spate involving drunk passengers which has now led a minister to say the way alcohol is sold at airports will be examined.

Lord Ahmad, aviation minister, pledged to consider what mor e can be done to make air travel an "attractive sector for all" which is "safe and secure".

Jet2.com passenger Joshua Strickland, 21, of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, was on board the July 13 flight from Leeds Bradford to Larnaca, Cyprus, when the incident happened, the airline said.

The company said he "illicitly" drank alcohol he had taken onto the aircraft and threatened a family. When a member of the cabin crew attempted to calm him down he made "physical threats towards her and also began to punch the seats".

Strickland pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft before magistrates on Thursday and will be sentenced at a later date.

Jet2.com has a "zero tolerance" policy against disruptive behaviour by passengers. More than 500 of its customers have been refused travel, with over 60 of those given lifetime bans.

Recent police statistics show hundreds of passengers were arrested on suspicion of being drunk on a plane or at an airport in the last two years.

Figures obtained following freedom of information requests showed at least 442 people were held between March 2014 and March 2016.

In an interview with the Press Association, Lord Ahmad said: "If you're a young family travelling on a plane you want to go from point A to B, you don't want to be disrupted.

"I don't think we want to kill merriment altogether, but I think it's important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind.

"In terms of specific regulations of timings of outlets (which sell alcohol) and how they operate, clearly I want to have a look at that."

Lord Ahmad, who was appointed aviation minister by Theresa May when she became Prime Minister earlier this month, also highlighted the value of screening travellers before they board planes.

"I think that it's important for the safety and security of all passengers that we ensure that regime is actually fit for purpose," he said.

He added: "I want to certainly look at what more can be done in terms of making aviation a very attractive sector for all, so whether you're a businessman making travelling arrangements or you're a family planning a holiday, you can do so ... knowing that once you board the plane it's going to be an environment in which you're going to be safe and secure."

A code of practice on disruptive passengers was published earlier this week following collaboration between airlines, airports, the police and retailers.

It includes airport shops advising passengers not to drink alcohol they have purchased before or during their flight, and training staff in bars and restaurants to limit or stop the sale of alcohol if they are concerned about disruptive behaviour.

Trade bodies representing UK airlines and airports said incidents of disruption are "a very rare occurrence", but warned they can lead to "serious consequences".

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, and Ed Anderson, chairman of the Airport Operators Association, said in a joint statement: "These incidents can be costly and cause delays.

"With air travel proving more popular than ever, and passenger numbers expected to rise across the whole of the UK in the coming years, now is the time to tackle this problem collectively."

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "Airport security is always under review, however there are no plans to specifically address the issue of alcohol at airports."