MARIANNE FAITHFULL's on/off boyfriend FRANCOIS RAVARD has been arrested after an airport row allegedly turned violent.

The 61-year-old singer and her French partner were due to board a plane at London's Gatwick airport on Friday (17Apr09) to fly to Italy ahead of a planned concert on Saturday (18Apr09).

But after being informed they were carrying an excessive amount of luggage, Ravard, 51, is said to have become angry, leading to concerns amongst British Airways staff that he was too "intoxicated" to fly.

He is then alleged to have lashed out at the airport's duty manager, who had been brought in to calm the situation.

Police attended the scene and Ravard was arrested, while Faithfull was also questioned by cops.

The singer was later released and allowed to board the flight.

A British Airways spokesman tells U.K. newspaper the Daily Mirror, "A male customer became aggressive and abusive at check-in when he was refused travel on a flight from Gatwick to Bologna. He appeared to be intoxicated at check-in.

"In such circumstances an assessment is made as to whether the passenger is fit to travel. When he was refused travel, he became physically and verbally abusive. Police were called and he was arrested. Such behaviour will not be tolerated."

A police spokesman confirmed the incident, but revealed they will not be pressing charges against Ravard: “A 51-year-old man from Paris was cautioned for assault on a British Airways staff member.”

The couple - who have been together for 15 years - was recently said to have split after Faithfull announced in an interview that the relationship "broke up".