A Ryanair flight from Milan to London was diverted to Paris after two men allegedly began eating and trying to flush their passports mid-air, leaving passengers terrified.
File photo of a Ryanair plane(Image: PA)
Ryanair is the go-to airline for many of us in Ireland. Whether it’s a weekend break in Europe, a family sun holiday or just hopping across the pond to London, most of the time flights are quick, cheep and hassle-free. But while the majority of journeys go off without a hitch, every so often something happens that makes you realise just how unpredictable air travel can be.
That was the case on a recent Ryanair flight where passengers were left stunned after two men allegedly began eating their passports mid-air, leaving those on board terrified as the crew scrambled to deal with the bizarre incident.
A passenger on the flight told the Daily Star that “it was the scariest 15 minutes of my life” on what was meant to be a routine journey back to London following a European holiday. The traveller, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they had been flying from Milan to London Stansted after “spending time with friends” – completely unaware that the trip would become memorable for all the wrong reasons.
They recalled: “Essentially the flight took off and 15 to 20 mins into the flight, once the seatbelt sign was off, something very strange happened at the front of the plane. Staff were notified and went to see what was going on at the front of the plane. Suddenly the whole mood changed – no one onboard knew what was going on, these people were acting weird.”
Confused passengers watched on as one of the men allegedly began ripping pages from his passport and eating them. They then began to “freak out” as his companion headed for the back of the plane, apparently trying to “flush his own passport down the toilet”.
An air hostess banged on the door, pleading with the man to come out but he refused. The source added: “This led to even more tension. The airhostess then made a public announcement that was so blunt and to the point. That freaked people out to another level. No one knew what was going on.”
With the situation spiralling, the captain made the decision to divert the flight to Paris. The source described the descent as “the most terrifying 15 minutes of my life”. Once safely on the ground, French police boarded the aircraft and arrested the two men. The passenger claimed the delay lasted around two hours and involved a full bag search before the plane was cleared to continue its journey to London.
Despite the ordeal, the passenger praised the Ryanair crew for keeping calm under pressure. They said: “I think Ryanair were brilliant in handling it in a certain way. They gave out drinks towards the end of the flight as we were coming in over Stansted. It was really stressful but Ryanair handled it amazingly. I’m just really f****** glad I landed.”
The Daily Star reports that Ryanair was contacted for comment on the incident.
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