Ryanair crew subdue air rage man
One passenger travelling on board Flight 7028 from Cork to Las Palmas said other passengers were traumatised by the behaviour of the man, who was detained by local police when the flight landed in Gran Canaria shortly before 8pm on Saturday night.
The eyewitness said the man had to be forcibly restrained by Ryanair cabin crew.
In a statement issued to the Irish Examiner, Ryanair said its crew had “requested police assistance on arrival at Gran Canaria after a passenger became disruptive in-flight”.
“Police removed and detained the individual from the aircraft upon arrival in Gran Canaria,” the statement said.
The airline said it apologised to other passengers for any inconvenience and that “the safety and comfort of its customers, crew and aircraft is its priority”.
The statement said the airline “will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time”, and the matter was now in the hands of local police.
The aircraft in question was a Boeing 737 which seats just under 200 passengers.
Air rage is an increasingly common occurrence.
Earlier this year, the 41-year-old niece of fashion icon Ralph Lauren was charged in Shannon in relation to an air rage incident on board a JFK New York bound flight from Barcelona.
Jennifer Lauren was subsequently fined €2,000 for pushing an air hostess and swearing at airline staff on board a Delta Air Lines flight which had to be diverted to Shannon Airport last January.
Ms Lauren solicitor’s claimed in court that her actions were out of character and caused by a reaction to alcohol mixed with medication.
More than 200 passengers and crew were on board the flight. The diversion cost Delta $43,158 (€31,770).
