Ryanair has vowed to crackdown on the “intolerable” behaviour of some passengers to protect other travellers. 

Yesterday, the budget airline claimed an individual had behaved badly on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote and forced it to divert. 

The 160 passengers onboard were forced to stay in Porto overnight and lost a day out of their holidays. 

Ryanair is now seeking €15,000 in damages against the individual and spokesperson Dara Brady said it will take legal action against more people in the future. 

“If you get on a flight and you’ve taken too much alcohol, if you’re on a flight and it’s non-alcohol related and your behaviour is intolerable, we will do whatever we can to ensure that we follow up on it,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“It’s very, very serious because it is about protecting the other passengers and the crew who are flying with us. 

“We want to make that as enjoyable as possible.”

On Lunchtime Live, aviation expert Simon Daly described this as “absolutely the right approach” from Ryanair. 

“It’s a show of force and it acts as a deterrent against other passengers,” he said.

“But this is an issue that has risen exponentially since restrictions were lifted post-pandemic - not just in Europe but globally.

“[Figures show] from 2021 to 2023, there’s quite a steep rise in unruly passengers.” 

Ryanair aeroplanes with the control tower in the background at Dublin Airport. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie

Mr Daly said this has become a “major cost to the airlines” and is also a “major inconvenience” to those passengers who do behave well. 

“I think €15,000 is quite a low amount for them to pursue,” he said. 

“If the passengers were entitled to EU261 2004 compensation and, if it was a full aircraft, then there’s another €75,600 at €400 per passenger.” 

Ryanair agrees partnership with On the Beach, © PA Archive/PA Images

Mr Daly also suggested there are things that could be done to make flying a more pleasant experience for staff and crew alike. 

“The airlines do bear some responsibility on the service of alcohol,” he said. 

“The cabin crew do their best but there’s also people coming onto the aircraft drunk. 

“I’ve been on a flight to Malaga where before departure… the police [were called] before the aircraft was even pushed back from the stands. 

“There was abuse of the staff, abuse of the passengers over an issue with seats and they were clearly intoxicated - they probably shouldn’t have boarded the aircraft initially.” 

In 2023, close to 39.2 million people used Irish airports - the highest number since records began in 2013.

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Main image: Ryanair planes. Picture by: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.