A Ryanair passenger is under police scrutiny after his mid-flight behavior caused a major disruption.
The incident occurred on Thursday, April 3 during a Ryanair flight from Manchester, England en route to Rhodes, Greece, when flight crew members were forced to physically restrain a man after he repeatedly refused to comply with instructions.
Witnesses claim, per the New York Post, that the man became increasingly aggressive after flight attendants confiscated two bottles of alcohol he had on his person and refused to serve him any more drinks.
As the plane began its descent, the passenger allegedly stood up and ignored orders to return to his seat. Flight attendants used two spare seatbelts in an attempt to secure the man, but he reportedly broke free, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and circle the island before attempting to touch down again.
Video footage from the flight shows multiple crew members and passengers gathered around the man while one crew member can be heard shouting, “Sit down, now!” Police officers are later seen escorting the man off the plane after it landed safely in Rhodes.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a Ryanair spokesperson confirmed the flight crew called ahead for police assistance after the passenger became disruptive.
“The aircraft was met by local police upon arrival at Rhodes Airport, and this passenger was removed,” read the statement. “Ryanair has a strict zero-tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all.”
One passenger, who filmed the altercation, described the event to the outlet, stating, “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 were traveling together and if we could be separated because a little girl needed to come down to the front of the plane with her dad because a man was being disruptive.”
The witness explained that the man continued to get out of his seat and the staff shouted at him to get him to sit down once again.
As the witness described, the disruptive traveler reportedly started “squaring up” with the crew, in an attempt to intimidate and potentially incite a physical altercation.
According to passengers, the flight crew made an announcement warning that anyone caught drinking Duty-Free alcohol on the flight would face police action unless they stopped.
Upon landing, passengers were told to remain seated while local police boarded the aircraft and removed the man.
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