Air passengers "mutinied" on a flight from Heathrow which was stuck on the tarmac for almost seven hours, it was revealed on Friday.
The disturbance led to the Beirut-bound Middle East Airlines plane, with nearly 250 passengers aboard, missing its 1pm departure slot on Thursday.
With the plane not given another slot until around 7.30pm, disgruntled passengers argued with crew, raided the galleys and started "pushing and shoving".
Police boarded the plane at 5.50pm, but there no arrests and the plane eventually took off for Lebanon.
Speaking from Beirut to the London Evening Standard, one London-based businessman said on Friday that a middle-aged man had told a crew member he was an idiot and "that was when the pushing and shoving began".
Another passenger, a 45-year-old legal translator, told the Standard: "It is like something from Lord of the Flies. People are hysterical."
Middle East Airlines' UK and Ireland manager Naima Kassir said: "There was a delay due to the bad weather and then the plane was further delayed due to unruly passengers on board."