Ryanair introduces €500 fine for 'disruptive' passengers

Ryanair said the new penalty is part of efforts to ensure a comfortable and stress-free environment for passengers and crew.

Ryanair has announced it will begin issuing a €500 fine to passengers whose disruptive behaviour results in them being removed from a flight.

The airline said the new penalty is part of efforts to ensure a comfortable and stress-free environment for passengers and crew. 

It follows a number of isolated but disruptive incidents involving unruly behaviour on board.

While the issue affects airlines across the industry, Ryanair said it is taking a proactive approach to deter misconduct in the air and will also continue to pursue civil damages where appropriate.

In January, Ryanair filed legal proceedings claiming more than €15,000 in damages against a passenger who allegedly disrupted a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote which had to be diverted to Portugal.

It alleged that a passenger’s “inexcusable behaviour” led to the flight being diverted and 160 passengers faced unnecessary disruption which cost them a full day of their holiday.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “It is unacceptable that passengers are made to suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger’s behaviour. 

"We hope this fine will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable conduct onboard.”