Scotland's worst Ryanair flight fights as airline boss calls for two-drink limit

Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary has called for a crackdown on airport drinking amid a rise in disturbances on flights. Departures from Scotland, particularly to party destinations, have seen a number of violent incidents in recent years.

Ryanair recently implemented a new rule where passengers bound for Ibiza have their bags inspected before they're permitted to board. And O'Leary has now suggested limiting travellers to two alcoholic beverages per trip to combat what he describes as a surge in unruly and violent incidents.

The Record has reported on a number of mid-air incidents in recent years. Earlier this year, Ryanair passengers had to be pulled apart from one another just days after a brawl broke out on the same route.

READ MORE:Hitman who murdered Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh has life sentence extended

READ MORE:Pedestrian hit by car near Edinburgh Airport as police race to scene

A plane travelling from Edinburgh to Tenerife on February 25 was forced to divert to Portugal so the yobs could be hauled off the flight. Louts began fighting and "throwing bottles" on the plane, which left children "terrified" and "in tears".

The passengers were removed from the plane before the aircraft finally arrived in Tenerife two hours later than scheduled. Shaken passenger David Love, 43, told the Record: "It was the worst flight of my life."

Days earlier, on February 19, drunk yobs had been hauled off a Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Tenerife by Spanish cops after a brawl broke out between two brothers mid-air. Passengers said they endured hours of "chaos" after a rammy erupted between the "rowdy" group.

Hannah MacDonald, who shared a video of the fight on her Instagram page, said passengers were left shaken up after things turned violent. In the shocking footage, two men and one woman were seen shouting and bawling at each other before punches were thrown.

Hannah claimed the group, who were all sitting near the front of the plane, had been heavily drinking since take-off and were asked to stop swearing by older passengers.

Meanwhile, in March 2019, frightened women and children screamed in terror as a bloody brawl broke out on another trip to Tenerife. The rammy erupted as the Ryanair flight from Prestwick Airport touched down.

One passenger claimed the row started when a drunk man started heckling a woman who was walking along the aisle in her socks.

And it came to a head as the plane landed in Tenerife when one man ended up with his nose burst open. Passengers and flight crew who tried to break up the fight between two men ended up splattered in blood.

Speaking this week, Ryanair boss O'Leary highlighted that aggressive episodes are now "a weekly occurrence", which he says are often exacerbated by alcohol combined with drugs.

He said: "We don't want to begrudge people having a drink. But we don't allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet. As long as they can stand up and shuffle they will get through. Then when the plane takes off we see the misbehaviour."

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.