A British man has been arrested in Majorca following an incident on a Ryanair flight from London Stansted. Police boarded the aircraft upon its arrival after the cabin attendant confirmed he wished to press charges.
The 30-year-old suspect is reported to have been heavily intoxicated and allegedly began flirting with the crew member. The pilot had contacted air traffic controllers at Palma Airport before landing to request police presence due to the alleged sexual assault.
The air steward initially declined to make a formal complaint but later changed his mind and provided a statement to the police. The suspect had already disembarked the plane and passed through passport control before authorities could detain him. He was arrested the following day when attempting to board his return flight and subsequently appeared before a judge.
He was released on bail pending an ongoing investigation into the June 29 incident. The suspect's identity has not been released. It remains unclear if he is still on the island or has made arrangements for another flight home.
In a separate, unrelated incident in July 2024, a 43-year-old British man, Mark Turnbull, received a one-year suspended prison sentence for sexually assaulting an air steward on a flight from Newcastle to Palma. Turnbull was accused of touching the flight attendant inappropriately. Other passengers assisted in restraining him until the plane landed. He was taken into custody by police upon arrival. A court in Palma convicted him of sexual assault, and the sentence was suspended as part of a plea bargain. He was also ordered to undergo sexual education training and given a restraining order preventing him from approaching the victim for two years.