Police haul man off Ryanair plane after he was caught smoking during flight

Police boarded a Ryanair flight after a passenger was caught smoking.

Armed officers were called out to the tarmac at Manchester Airport on Tuesday (30 May) to detain a man who was seen sparking up in the toilets.

In footage captured by another passenger, police can be seen approaching the RK3442 flight from Palma to Manchester shortly after it landed at the airport.

They then board the plane and call over a male passenger, seen wearing a baseball cap, a grey t-shirt, and flip flops, who is told to 'follow my colleague'.

The camera then quickly pans back to the window, showing the man being led away by the two officers, with the three of them walking to a nearby police car.

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A member of the cabin crew then makes an announcement over the tannoy, telling the rest of the passengers they are allowed to leave the aircraft.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about the bizarre incident, a dad said the lad lit up just a few minutes into the flight and was 'named and shamed' by the cabin crew.

"It was literally about 20 minutes after take-off," he told the publication.

"One of the flight attendants could smell smoke coming from the toilet. They took all his details and then announced it to the whole plane.

"I was really pleased because they'd named and shamed the person. If you're willing to have a smoke and put 180 souls on board lives at risk, then you should be named and shamed."

While the man responsible was 'relatively calm', the fellow passenger said the same couldn't be said for the rest of them.

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He explained that there were a few families onboard the flight and everyone was 'on edge', including his own kids, who were pretty scared by it all.

"There were a few people not happy on that plane, I'll tell you," the man said.

"I was with my two daughters who are seven and ten. They were pretty frightened."

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "The crew of this flight from Palma to Manchester (May 30) called ahead for police assistance after a passenger was found smoking onboard.

"The passenger was removed from the aircraft by local police upon landing at Manchester Airport."

According to reports, the man was not arrested by police following the incident.

LADbible has contacted Manchester Airport for comment.

Topics: Travel, UK News, Crime

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom