A british passenger on a Ryanair flight has been sentenced to 225 hours of community service after boarding drunk and carrying an empty bottle of vodka on the flight. The incident happened on a flight from Edinburgh to Lanzarote in July 2024 and forced the aircraft to return to Edinburgh less than 30 minutes after take-off. According to witnesses, the man was carrying a vodka bottle, appeared drunk when boarding and used an electronic cigarette in the cabin.
During the flight, he began shouting at other passengers and although cabin crew confiscated the bottle and vape, the situation wasn’t improving and the pilot decided to return to Edinburgh Airport. Police officers detained the passenger along with two others involved.
The passengers then remained seated in the plane for another hour before they departed and landed in Lanzarote almost nine hours late.
A Ryanais spokesperson said: “The Edinburgh Sheriff Court issued this passenger with a Community Payback Order and sentenced him to 225 hours of community service.
“This conviction shows that we will not tolerate behaviour that compromises the safety or wellbeing of our passengers and crew. We hope that 225 hours of community service will act as a clear warning to anyone who thinks they can behave recklessly on board.”
Ryanair welcomed the court’s decision and said it will continue to “combat unruly passenger behavior on aircraft for the benefit of the vast majority of passengers who do not disrupt flights”.