Two British men were removed from a Ryanair flight to Alicante by armed Guardia Civil officers after passengers and crew reported they became rowdy during the journey, footage from the scene shows.
The flight, which departed Leeds Bradford Airport, touched down in Alicante at 7:22 p.m. local time after a two-and-a-half-hour journey. Cabin crew called for police assistance on landing, and officers were waiting on the tarmac before boarding to detain the two passengers, according to the footage and passenger accounts.
Video recorded by a fellow flyer shows uniformed officers moving through the aircraft aisle and escorting one man who appears to wrestle with an officer as he is led away. Passengers can be heard shouting at the men during the confrontation; one voice urges an officer to "knock him out," while others use profanities to criticise the behaviour. A passenger captured on film gasped as one of the detained men appeared to grab an officer around the neck before being restrained.
A passenger on board said the two men were part of a stag party and had appeared intoxicated while waiting to board at Leeds. Airline crew and other passengers reported they had been disruptive during the flight, prompting the request for law enforcement on arrival in Spain.
Ryanair confirmed the aircraft landed in Alicante as scheduled. The Guardia Civil routinely responds to incidents on inbound flights at Spanish airports; officers boarded this flight after a request from cabin staff, according to passenger statements and the footage.
The exact nature of any charges, or whether the two men were formally arrested or released after being removed from the aircraft, was not immediately clear. Local police statements and Ryanair did not provide further details at the time footage was circulated.
Airline officials and law enforcement agencies typically investigate incidents that affect inflight safety or the security of passengers and crew. Disruptive passenger incidents have prompted increased scrutiny of alcohol consumption and behaviour on some short-haul European flights in recent years, but officials have cautioned that each event is handled on its own facts and can result in a range of outcomes from fines to criminal charges depending on local law and the severity of conduct.
Passengers on the flight said the disturbance unnerved travellers and delayed the disembarkation process as officers managed the situation. No serious injuries were reported in the footage or by passengers who spoke about the incident.
Spanish authorities and Ryanair did not immediately publish formal statements about the incident. Further information may be made available pending inquiries by local police in Alicante and any subsequent action by Spanish prosecutors or British consular services if requested by those involved.