Drunk Ryanair passenger dragged off flight by police after ‘screaming and shouting’ at other customers
He was ‘out of his mind’, according to a witness
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Ryanair passenger who was “out of his mind” after drinking heavily had to be dragged off the plane by police.
The man, who appears to be called “Paddy” on video of the incident, was “shouting and screaming” at fellow passengers, according to an eyewitness.
PR consultant Deborah Martin was on the same flight from Dublin to Faro and shared footage of the man’s behaviour on social media.
He appears confused about what’s going on, repeatedly asking “what’s happening?” while a Portuguese police officer attempts to get him and his bag off the flight, eventually resorting to grabbing him by the neck and arm.
Martin claimed “Paddy” and his friends started drinking from bottles of vodka and Red Bull before take-off, and that they were “abusing staff and passengers.”
“One guy was out of his mind,” she told The Daily Mail. “He was screaming and shouting and being abusive.
“He was arguing and swearing with another hen party that was onboard.”
Martin added that the man didn’t appear to know his own name or what was going on by the time police boarded the aircraft, having downed “about four drinks” as they were coming into land.
Most of his travel companions were “well-behaved” and tried to calm him down; in another video Martin shared on Twitter, one of his friends is attempting to make Paddy take a seat. He responds, “You sit down” several times while remaining standing.
Martin praised Ryanair crew for their handling of the incident, saying they were “brilliant”.
But despite their best efforts, she claimed passengers were “intimidated” and “frightened” by the young man’s behaviour, and called for more to be done to prevent repeat offenders flying in future.
Ryanair said in a statement: “This flight from Dublin to Faro (May 2) requested police assistance upon landing after a passenger became disruptive in-flight.
“The aircraft landed normally and police and removed and detained this individual.
“The safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.”
The prosecutor at the Court of Faro will decide whether the passenger should be charged.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments