A disruptive passenger on a scheduled Ryanair service between Cork and Manchester was arrested on arrival after she reportedly became ‘loud and abusive’ during the flight on Sunday 11 February.
Police were called to take the woman passenger into custody after the aircraft landed at 9:20 AM in Manchester that morning.
Ryanair FR1862 Cork-Manchester
The relative calm on the early morning Ryanair flight FR1862 rotation from Cork (ORK) to Manchester (MAN) was broken on Sunday 11 February, after a female passenger became disorderly and abusive during the flight.
According to the local news source CorkBeo, passengers reported that the woman appeared to be under the influence of something and had become very disruptive, screaming abuse at both passengers and crew.
Having landed at Manchester airport, passengers aboard the flight FR1862 service were held for around 30 minutes during which time crewmembers attempted to calm the disruptive passenger until she could be transferred to police custody.
[monsterinsights_popular_posts_inline]
Passenger detained on arrival MAN
The inflight disturbance apparently commenced not long after the flight had taken off from Cork, when what appeared to be a loud argument broke out.
The report by CorkBeo notes that the captain made an announcement to the passenger cabin requesting that the woman resumed her seat and stop abuse of passengers and crew members.
The disruptive episode continued after the flight had landed in Manchester, as the crew awaited the attendance of the Greater Manchester Police.
Ryanair crew were lauded for their calm demeanour and professionalism during the flight incident.
UK Penalties for Disruptive Behaviour
The UK Civil Aviation Authority notes that disruptive passenger behaviour remains one of the main reasons for aircraft diversions.
As well as affecting the safety of the individual concerned and that of passengers and crew members, disruptive and unruly behaviour on an aircraft has serious consequences including significant civil prosecution.
Dependent upon the severity of the incident, the punishment and penalties can include severe fines and potential imprisonment.
An act of drunkenness on board an aircraft can result in a maximum fine of £5000 and up to 2 years in prison.
The prison sentence for endangering the safety of an aircraft is up to 5 years’ incarceration. In addition to these penalties, disruptive passengers may also be liable to reimburse the aircraft for the cost of an in-flight diversion.
A diversion can cost anywhere between £10,000-£80,000 dependent upon the size of the aircraft, and the airport which it is forced to divert to.
Airlines reserved the right to refuse carriage of any passengers which they consider to be open potential risk to the overall safety of the aircraft, its operating crew or its passengers.
Did you know AviationSource has two newsletters? One covers the general news and analysis of the industry as a whole, and the other to do with emergencies that take place throughout the year! To subscribe to our General News Newsletter, CLICK HERE!
To subscribe to our Emergencies, Accidents & Incidents Newsletter, CLICK HERE!
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
