TWO unruly passengers who forced a Ryanair flight bound for Ibiza to divert to Toulouse have been fined.
Ryanair confirmed that the Toulouse Criminal Court handed out a combined fine of €10,000 and ten-month suspended sentences to the troublesome travellers.
The incident occurred last May on a flight from London Stansted to Ibiza when the duo directed abuse at other passengers and failed to comply with the crew’s instructions.
Their behaviour forced the flight to divert to Toulouse disrupting the travel plans of 184 holidaymakers and six crew members.
Ryanair welcomed the decision with spokesperson Jade Kirwan saying: “It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday, suffer unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of unruly passenger behaviour.”
She added: “We hope this action will deter further disruptive behaviour on flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment.”
The ruling comes after Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary sparked controversy this week by calling for airports to ban alcohol sales before early morning flights to curb the rise of disruptive behaviour onboard.
Speaking to The Times, O’Leary said that one Ryanair flight is redirected each day due to unruly passengers, up from just one a week ten years ago.
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O’Leary explained: “It’s becoming a real challenge for all airlines. I fail to understand why anybody in airport bars is serving people at five or six o’clock in the morning. Who needs to be drinking beer at that time?”
Ryanair began taking legal action against troublesome passengers in January last year.
The airline’s court victory in Toulouse was swiftly followed by a favourable ruling in the Irish courts. A 47-year-old Dubliner was slapped with a €15,000 fine after ‘unacceptable behaviour’ on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote which was forced to divert to Porto.
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