Man accused of raping woman on United Airlines flight to London

• A man was arrested off a United Airlines flight after a woman accused him of rape on board, police said.
• United Airlines told Insider that the plane's crew called ahead to the police after the allegations.

A man was arrested after he was accused of raping a woman on a United Airlines flight.

In a statement to Insider, London's Metropolitan Police said it arrested a 40-year-old man when the plane landed at London's Heathrow Airport on January 31 after a 40-year-old woman who was on board accused him of rape.

"At 06:39hrs on Monday, 31 January police at Heathrow Airport were alerted to an incident on an inbound flight," police said.

"Officers met the aircraft on arrival and arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of rape. He has been released under investigation.

"The complainant, a 40-year-old woman, is being supported by specialist officers and enquiries are ongoing."

When asked about the incident, United Airlines gave no further comment, but said its flight crew called the police when it learned of the allegations.

"Our crew called ahead and notified the local authorities as soon as they became aware of these allegations," it said. "We will cooperate with law enforcement on any investigation."

The Sun reported that the alleged incident took place in the business class cabin while other passengers were asleep.

The flight was from Newark, The Sun reported. United did not respond to Insider's request to confirm this detail.

Both the man and the woman are British, The Sun reported.