A heavily intoxicated passenger who reportedly tried to open an emergency exit mid-flight was removed from a Ryanair plane after a mass brawl erupted, forcing the aircraft to divert to Toulouse on Sept. 4.
Passengers on the Bournemouth-to-Girona flight told witnesses the man, described as wearing a white T‑shirt and orange shorts, went to the emergency exit and shouted "I want to go" before other travellers intervened, leading to a prolonged onboard struggle.
Video footage circulating online showed several passengers restraining the man as crew called ahead for police assistance. French officers met the aircraft on landing at Toulouse Airport and carried the passenger across the runway before placing him in custody, according to witness accounts and airline comment.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes inside the cabin. One passenger said the man had gone to a lavatory before attempting to open one of the emergency exits and then tried a second exit after being stopped. Others said he spat at and punched fellow travellers and attempted to head‑butt a pensioner seated next to him after being restrained. Several passengers reported screams, tears and panic attacks during the incident.
"There was a big punch up and he then finally got taken down in the aisle and was pinned to the floor where they then managed to get a seatbelt extender round his ankles to stop him kicking," a witness said. Another passenger, David Malone, said the confrontation lasted about 30 minutes and required several people to subdue the man. "It was horrible, there was blood everywhere. There were people screaming and crying," he said.
A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed the flight was diverted and the disruptive passenger was offloaded in Toulouse. "This flight from Bournemouth to Girona (4 Sept) was diverted to Toulouse after a passenger became disruptive onboard. Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Toulouse Airport and offloaded this passenger before this flight continued to Girona," the airline said in a statement. Ryanair reiterated that it maintains a zero‑tolerance policy toward passenger misconduct.
The aircraft continued on to Girona after the police removal, arriving about two hours later than scheduled. Authorities in Toulouse met the flight on the ground; local police escorted the detained passenger off the aircraft. Media reports and passenger accounts said as many as 13 French police officers were involved in carrying the man across the runway.
Airline disruption caused by unruly passengers has drawn attention in recent years, with carriers and regulators emphasising safety and the need to protect crew and travellers. In this case, passengers and crew members restrained the individual until local authorities could take custody, and Ryanair said it would take decisive action to combat unruly behaviour.
No immediate information was released about criminal charges or the passenger's condition following his removal. Ryanair did not provide further detail on any follow‑up actions, and Toulouse police had not issued a public statement detailing any charges by the time of initial reporting.
Passengers on the flight described distress and trauma from the incident. Some called for tighter controls on alcohol sales and consumption in airports, saying the episode highlighted risks when intoxicated individuals board aircraft. Ryanair and airport authorities did not comment on such policy issues in their initial responses to the incident.