Alex Trelinski
AN UNRULY drunken British mob jetting off on a Benidorm stag weekend forced an Ryanair flight to Alicante-Elche airport to land at Toulouse-Blagnac in France.
French police boarded the plane with one of the group led off in handcuffs, followed the rest of the party including his son.
The men took the flight at Luton last Friday with British media quoting witnesses as saying that they were drunk and one of them even tried to open the craft’s emergency exit.
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“Even before take-off they were moving around the cabin, changing seats and ignoring basic safety rules,” passenger Tania Nichols told the Daily Mail.
The situation worsened when one of the group tried to approach a friend of Tania’s to hug and kiss her as the Ryanair cabin crew quickly intervened.
They then started to drink alcohol bought at Luton’s duty-free outlet and to shout and swear loudly in the presence of children.
Tania Nichols said the groom distanced himself from the inappropriate behaviour and did not get involved in any transgressions.
“At one point, two members of the group appeared to be in a heated argument, as they visibly pushed each other, clashed heads, and one tore his shirt while others tried to separate them,” Nichols continued.
Some of them spat on the seats and placed their feet on the headrests of other passengers- even hitting a woman on the head.
Despite the pleas of the cabin crew and other passengers, the behaviour continued forcing the captain to make an unscheduled landing in France.
Several French police officers took the unruly group off the plane as the other passengers applauded.
Tania Nichols praised the cabin crew who handled the situation ‘with professionalism and calmness’.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from London- Luton to Alicante was diverted to Toulouse after a small group of passengers became confrontational on board.”
The spokesperson reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards bad passenger behaviour and its commitment to ensuring that all travellers and crew can travel in a respectful and stress-free environment.
The offenders could well face civil prosecution by the Irish budget carrier which has recently toughened up its approach to disruptive travellers by taking them to court.
On September 8, two rowdy stag-do Brits were carted off by Guardia Civil officers after a Ryanair plane landed at Alicante-Elche airport from Leeds-Bradford.
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