A plane bound for New York's JFK airport was re-routed to Manchester after one of the passengers assaulted a member of the cabin crew.

A 51-year-old man has been charged with offences under the Navigation Disorder Act 2005 following the incident.

The Boeing 747 flight, which departed from Berlin, landed at Manchester airport just after 1pm on Saturday.

After take-off one of the economy passengers on the plane took up a seat in first class. Members of the cabin crew, including one of the pilots, repeatedly asked the passenger to return to his rightful seat but he refused and became aggressive.

Another passenger then stepped in and restrained the man. The captain decided that, for safety, the flight should be rerouted to Manchester.

Bert Niepel, aged 42, who lives in Berlin, was charged with being an airport passenger who behaved in a threatening, abusive, insulting and disorderly manner.

He was granted bail and will appear at Trafford Magistrates Court tomorrow.

A police spokesman said: "This incident is being treated as isolated and is not linked to any kind of terrorism."