Drunk couple forces emergency landing after mid-air meltdown
A Ryanair flight to Ibiza had to be diverted after a drunk couple allegedly assaulted cabin crew and other passengers.
The plane, carrying holiday-makers from Manchester to Ibiza had to make an emergency landing in Toulouse, where police hauled the intoxicated passengers off the plane.
A British traveller on the flight, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled the man "swigging duty free vodka" on the first hour of the flight, before he started arguing with a male cabin crew member and punched him in the face.
As they tried to restrain him, the intoxicated man assaulted another passenger and spat at a woman, hurling verbal abuse at her.
“He was kicking off with everyone, he was out of control,” the witness said.
Flight attendants reportedly warned him that the flight would have to be diverted if he didn't calm down, but he replied: “I don’t give a f***.”
The altercation lasted for about 40 minutes until Flight FR2626 had to land in Toulouse, and 12 police officers took him away in custody.
Video of the attack showed the man shouting and swearing at the police, before assaulting another traveller as he was being escorted off the flight.
After he left the plane, his partner started harassing another traveller, hitting him and calling him a "paedo".
In another video, police were filmed physically restraining the woman, before removing her from the plane.
The flight spent just over an hour and a half on the tarmac at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport before continuing its journey to Ibiza.
Just last week Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary called for flyers to be limited to two drinks at airports to crack down on disorderly behaviour on flights.
“We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink," he said.
“But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000ft.
“In the old days, people who drank too much would eventually fall over or fall asleep. But now those passengers are also on tablets and powder.
“It’s the mix. You get much more aggressive behaviour that becomes very difficult to manage.”
The airline has started carrying out hand luggage checks to stop passengers on flights to Ibiza and the Greek islands from smuggling duty-free alcohol on-board.
A Ryanair spokesperson has apologised for the incident saying: “This flight from Manchester to Ibiza diverted to Toulouse after a small group of passengers became disruptive in-flight."
“The crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Toulouse and offloaded two passengers before this flight continued to Ibiza.
“We sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of these unruly passengers’ behaviour, which was beyond Ryanair’s control. This is now a matter for local police.”
Image: news.com.au