Ryanair passenger left acting as 'airline security' after drunk man 'went bananas' on flight
The incident took place on a Ryanair flight from Manchester (file pic)
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A passenger on a Ryanair flight was forced to stand in as airline security after a drunk man "went bananas" on a flight.
Stuart Wilson said he sprung into action after a drunk 6ft 3ins man woke up and caused havoc on board the flight from Manchester to Lanzarote.
The 52-year-old said that the intoxicated man, who was sitting in an aisle seat next to his girlfriend, knocked her glasses off her head and repeatedly punched the baggage bins, ceiling, armrests and the seat in front of him.
The farmer from Dunfanaghy, a rural village in the County Donegal, said that the girlfriend was "inconsolable" and crying with her friends offering her more alcohol while the man was "roaring abuse at her and wouldn't sit down."
The incident took place on a Ryanair flight from Manchester (file pic)
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Wilson told the Irish Independent: "This guy was roaring, calling his girlfriend a s***, a slapper, a w***e. He kept calling her a w***e. Everyone was trying to get him to stop. There were kids on the plane and an older person. People were crying, they were so upset."
After standing up, Wilson told the man that "No-one is getting touched on this plane."
Staff on the flight eventually managed to remove the man from his seat to sit him down in the back of the aircraft, however the man came back to start conflict with another man.
Wilson added: "He pushed his head into another man's head hard, so hard the other man fell over....I'm not security, I was a passenger on a flight."
He adding that the whole ordeal lasted about an hour and he had to become "air security" to "try to control the situation."
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A Ryanair spokesperson apologised
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Wilson said he was shocked that the passenger was allowed to walk off without being arrested once the flight landed in Lanzarote. He claimed to have seen two men beating the crazed passenger, who ended up with a bandaged head and alleged broken ribs. Other passengers thanked the 52-year-old for stepping in, including the man's girlfriend.
A spokesperson from Ryanair said in a statement: "A pair of passengers on this flight from Manchester to Lanzarote (July 1) became disruptive inflight.
"Crew defused the situation and moved one of the disruptive passengers to the other end of the aircraft for the remainder of the flight, which landed in Lanzarote as scheduled without any further disruption.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of these passengers' unruly behaviour."
The spokesperson added: "Ryanair is pleased to support this Irish aviation industry declaration to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft.
"The safety and wellbeing of our crew and passengers is Ryanair's No.1 priority and we try to eradicate unruly behaviour onboard our aircraft.
"We will continue to work closely with An Garda Síochána, the IAA, Irish Airports and the wider aviation industry to eliminate all forms of unruly behaviour in airport terminals and onboard our aircraft."
It is understood that the crew on board did not witness passengers consuming their own alcohol or vaping on board, as outlined by Mr Wilson.
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