THIS is the moment police escorted a Ryanair passenger off a flight after they “tried to open an emergency exit” shortly after takeoff.
Passengers on a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Agadir, Morocco, found themselves back where they started after the flight was forced to turn around mid-air, just 20 minutes after taking off this morning.
6
6
6
Flight RK1266 departed Manchester Airport at around 9.20am today but travellers found themselves back in the city less than an hour later after a passenger “became disruptive”.
In a video posted on social media, Greater Manchester Police officers can be seen walking through the aisle of the aircraft after the flight returned to the UK.
A person can be seen motioning towards an overhead baggage compartment, which is then opened.
Passengers lean their heads into the aisle as they watch the officers appear to escort the “disruptive” traveller in getting their luggage.
The cops can then be seen marching the passenger towards the front of the aircraft before they disembarked the flight.
Captioning the clip, the video’s poster said the flight had returned back to Manchester after a passenger “attempted to open [an] emergency exit.”
He said: “The plane landed safely and the passenger involved was escorted off the plane by Greater Manchester Police”.
A witness told Manchester Evening News that fellow passengers had tried to stop the woman from opening the exit and alerted cabin crew to the chaos.
The flight’s captain was then brought in to deal with the situation, with the passenger being removed from the emergency exit seat and the captain having to remain by the exit until the flight landed back in Manchester, the witness said.
They explained that after the woman was “escorted” off the flight, engineers were brought on to inspect the damage and replace parts.
It is understood the flight later departed again, using the same aircraft, at 11.20am, eventually landing in Agadir around an hour and a half late.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Manchester to Agadir (25 Aug) diverted to back to Manchester shortly after take-off after a passenger became disruptive onboard.
“Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Manchester Airport and offloaded this passenger before this flight continued to Agadir.
“Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption.”
6
6
6
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson confirmed the woman had been arrested after the flight landed back at Manchester Airport.
This comes after a Ryanair flight was plunged into chaos as a brawl broke out, understood to have been triggered by a crying baby.
Police were called to the flight, travelling from London Stansted to Lisbon, earlier this month.
Terrified children could be heard screaming and crying in the background while passengers stood in the aircraft’s aisle.
Tempers are understood to have flared once the plane touched down in Lisbon.
Local reports claim a fight broke out between two passengers, sparked by a crying baby.
Police were then called to deal with the disturbance, keeping everyone onboard until officers arrived.
It is understood that the baby had been crying earlier on in the flight, but tensions only erupted into chaos after the aircraft landed.
