This is the moment angry passengers on a grounded Air Austral flight argued with a police officer trying to remove a "drunk" man who demanded compensation.

The incident took place at Charles de Gaulle Airport in the commune of Roissy-en-France just north-east of the French capital last month.

An internal investigation is currently underway to determine what happened on board the chaotic flight on September 18.

According to local media, the plane was scheduled to travel to the island of Mayotte, an offshore French territory in the Indian Ocean.

However, there was a lengthy delay for unreported reasons and passengers became frustrated, as seen in the footage.

One man began demanding compensation from Air Austral and police intervened, escorting the man off the plane in front of complaining passengers who were already peeved with the hold-up.

According to the French airline, the man was intoxicated and the captain refused to take off until he was removed from the plane in accordance with safety rules. In the end, the flight was cancelled and passengers remained at the Charles de Gaulle Airport until alternative routes were found.

Air Austral immediately launched an investigation with the Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly, which had provided the crew, to shed light on the incident.

The company apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, stating that while it was beyond their control "safety remains our top priority".

This is the moment angry passengers on a grounded Air Austral flight argue with a cop trying to remove a "drunk" man who demanded compensation.

The incident took place at Charles de Gaulle Airport in the commune of Roissy-en-France just north-east of the French capital Paris.

An internal investigation is currently underway to determine what happened on board the chaotic flight. According to local media, the plane was scheduled to travel to the island of Mayotte, an offshore French territory in the Indian Ocean.

However, there was a lengthy delay for unreported reasons and passengers became frustrated, as seen in the footage. One man began demanding compensation from Air Austral and police intervened, escorting the man off the plane in front of complaining passengers who were already peeved with the hold-up.

According to the French airline, the man was intoxicated and the captain refused to take off until he was removed from the plane in accordance with safety rules. In the end, the flight was cancelled and passengers remained at the Charles de Gaulle Airport until alternative routes were found.

Air Austral immediately launched an investigation with the Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly, which had provided the crew, to shed light on the incident. The company apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, stating that while it was beyond their control "safety remains our top priority".