A 43-year-old German businessman has been arrested for unruly behaviour on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Zurich, police said Wednesday.

The man, who was allegedly drunk on the flight Monday, became upset when told not to smoke in the toilet, lay down to sleep in the aisle and then swore at cabin crew and threatened them with a fork when told to return to his seat, a senior police officer told AFP .

"The German has been remanded for a week. Investigations are going on. We plan to charge him for criminal intimidation Thursday," the officer said.

If found guilty, the passenger could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.