London Mayor Boris Johnson brought a new meaning to 'pressing the flesh' by intervening in a fracas on board a plane at the end of his tour of the Far East.

Johnson was travelling back to London from Kuala Lumpur when a fight broke out in the cabin, involving a man described as "off his face" by one member of the Mayor's delegation.

Other passengers on board captured images of the scuffle, showing the man being restrained.

According to witness Eileen Burbige - who took the image above and posted it on Twitter - there was a "head-butt incident." She hailed the "professionalism" of cabin crew for quelling the situation.

It seems Johnson joined efforts to calm down the man, before staff got involved and restrained him.

City Hall confirmed Johnson's role in the unsightly proceedings, saying: "The Mayor along with a number of other passengers and members of the cabin crew did make several attempts to calm the gentleman concerned, but to no avail."

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