Ryanair has initiated a private criminal prosecution against a disruptive passenger that allegedly caused a 40-minute departure delay and unnecessary disturbance to 137 passengers.
On March 18, 2025, a spokesperson for the low-cost carrier described the passenger’s behavior as “inexcusable” after he was removed from the flight by the Guardia Civil.
According to Ryanair, on January 17, 2024, the passenger, who claimed to be a UN diplomat with “diplomatic immunity”, attempted to take a seat that was not assigned to him and became verbally abusive when crew asked to see his boarding card.
The private criminal prosecution will be played out in the Spanish courts with the passenger potentially facing a sentence of three to 12 months in prison or a fine of six to 18 months of their salary, according to Ryanair.
Over the past year, Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary has been extremely vocal about his frustrations with passengers who disrupt flights and cause delays for other customers.
“It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are on a family holiday, are suffering unnecessary delay as a result of one unruly passenger’s behaviour. Yet this was regrettably the case for passengers on this flight from Lanzarote to Santiago in January, during which a disruptive passenger caused a departure delay due to his misconduct,” said the Ryanair spokesperson.
They added: “We hope this example will deter further disruptive behaviour on Ryanair flights, so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment as is their right.”
In January 2025, Ryanair said it had launched civil proceedings against a disruptive passenger to try and claw back some of the costs a diversion that was required. Ryanair claims the cost of the diversion equated to €15,350 ($15,670).
