A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Rhodes was forced to abort its landing after cabin crew had to restrain an "unruly" passenger with spare seatbelts.
The dramatic incident occurred on April 3 when the passenger refused to remain seated during the plane's descent.
Witnesses reported that staff had to take drastic action after the man became disruptive, with footage showing crew members and other passengers surrounding him.
A crew member was heard firmly instructing the passenger to "sit down, now" during the chaotic scene.
Passengers affected by flight disruptions will be notified by RyanairPA IMAGESThe passenger had reportedly become agitated after cabin crew confiscated two bottles of alcohol from him and refused to serve him any more drinks. According to eyewitnesses, the man began shouting at staff members following the alcohol confiscation.
Emily, a 26-year-old passenger who filmed the incident, said the man was "squaring up to staff" after having his alcohol taken away.
The airline had reportedly issued a warning over the intercom that anyone caught drinking duty-free alcohol would face police action upon landing.
The situation escalated when the man managed to break free from his makeshift restraints during the landing attempt, forcing the Ryanair pilot to abort the initial descent, circle the island, and attempt another landing.
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The incident took place on the flight from Manchester Airport to Rhodes
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Emily said: "As we were supposed to come down to land I could hear cabin crew shout at him to sit down...We had to go back up to circle the island until he would sit down again which was quite scary."
The flight crew had used two spare seatbelts in their attempts to secure the disruptive passenger to his seat.
Emily provided further details about how the incident began: "The flight was going completely fine until the cabin crew came up to me and my partner at the front of the plane and asked us if we could be separated."
This was because "a little girl needed to come down to the front of plane with her dad because a man was being disruptive."
She explained that when they couldn't move, another passenger was asked instead, which is when she became aware of the disturbance.
"The crew had to get two spare seatbelts and tried pinning him down on the seat," she said.
Upon the aircraft's eventual landing in Rhodes, all passengers were instructed to remain seated while local police boarded the plane. Officers were then seen escorting the disruptive man down the aisle and off the aircraft.
"Once we had landed we all had to stay put while police came up to take him off," Emily said.
A spokesman confirmed
PAA spokesperson for Ryanair confirmed: "The crew of this flight from Manchester to Rhodes on April 3 called ahead for police assistance after a passenger became disruptive onboard.
"The aircraft was met by local police upon arrival at Rhodes Airport and this passenger was removed."
The airline added: "Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour."
The company emphasised their commitment to ensuring "all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption."
