A Wizz Air passenger was fined €300 (£267.65) for failing to wear his face mask properly on board a flight from Athens to Larnaca in Cyprus.

The man, who was sitting at the back of the aircraft on the Sunday night flight, was said to have refused to comply with the mandatory mask policy despite repeated requests from the cabin crew.

The pilot was informed of the incident and upon landing in Cyprus, the plane was boarded by local police, the Cyprus Mail reported.

The paper said that passengers on board were not allowed to disembark until the police checked the man’s travel documents and issued him a fine for non-compliance with the country’s mandatory mask policy.

He was also required to go through Covid-19 testing.

A spokesperson for Wizz Air told The Independent: “Wizz Air confirms that a passenger on the airline’s Athens-Larnaca flight on 31 August did not comply with Wizz Air’s protective measures.

“The crew asked the passenger several times to wear a mask, but the passenger refused to follow the crew’s order and became verbally abusive towards the cabin crew. The Captain decided to call police after landing and the passenger was escorted off the aircraft by the respective authorities.

“Safety is our top priority and the airline has zero tolerance for abusive behaviour towards its passengers and staff. This is now a matter for the police.”

Since 31 July, it has been mandatory for the general public to wear face masks in crowded indoor spaces in Cyprus, which includes public transport.

The restrictions apply to anyone over the age of 12 (it has been revised up from six), with an automatic €300 fine handed out in cases of non-compliance.

One passenger, Stephanie Whitfield, told Today: “Many passengers didn’t seem to know how to wear the masks correctly or they seemed to disregard the rules.

“Lots of people were wearing the masks underneath their noses or underneath their chins. They were taking their masks off to talk to friends, and going up and down the aisle to talk to their friends without their masks on.

“The crew came round once to ask one lady to put her mask on.”

Tui has launched a full investigation following the incident.