LONDON: British police on Sunday charged two men with endangering an aircraft after a Pakistan International Airlines jet was diverted mid-flight following an incident on board.

Taxi driver Tayyab Subhani, 30, and restaurant worker Mohammed Safdar, 41, both from Nelson in Lancashire, northwest England, will appear in court on Monday, police said.

The charges are in connection with an incident on Friday when the PIA jet carrying 300 passengers from Lahore to Manchester had to be diverted to Stansted airport.

An airline source told AFP the incident had stemmed from a family row on board.

A Royal Air Force fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane over British airspace.

Police said the men would remain in custody ahead of their court appearance.

They will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court to the east of London in a special hearing on Monday, a national holiday in Britain, a spokeswoman for Essex Police said.