The flight from Manchester to Dalaman took off early on Sunday morning but had to change course due to the behaviour of the two Russian men.

The pair, aged 48 and 39, were arrested after the plane touched down in Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

They have been charged with disturbing the peace, disrupting transport and disobeying instructions from crew members.

Officials confirmed there had not been a physical altercation.

The pair were released pending a trial in November, which they do not have to attend in person, but will be represented by lawyers.

After arriving in Greece without a visa, the men were taken to a police station but were expected to be put on a flight to Turkey.

In a statement to Sky News, the airline said: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2147 from Manchester to Dalaman on 24 June diverted to Thessaloniki and was met by police due to two passengers behaving disruptively onboard. The flight continued to Dalaman after refuelling.

"easyJet's cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.

"Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard.

"The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority."