Air NZ passenger turned back by US

A man who had to be restrained on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Los Angeles is being returned to the country after being denied entry into the US.

The incident happened on an NZ6 flight from Auckland to Los Angeles that arrived in the United States at about 7am New Zealand time yesterday.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson said police met the aircraft ‘‘after a passenger failed to comply with crew instructions and required restraint in flight’’.

A Customs and Border Protection Los Angeles spokesperson, Jaime Ruiz, said the passenger was refused entry to the US because he was drunk and verbally abusive.