A British man faces up to five years in prison after attempting to open the doors of a packed Ryanair plane mid-flight.
The man, who had not been named, was in custody in Toulouse on Monday.
He is said to be the ring leader of a stag party of “drunk men” dragged off the flight by elite special forces police on Friday.
The plane was on a low-cost route between London Luton and Alicante but was forced to make an emergency landing in France after the man made the threat.
“He was next to an emergency door and trying to open it,” said an investigating source. “It was terrifying for everybody else on the flight. The pilot had no other option except to land the plane.”
After repeated warnings from cabin crew, the captain of the flight made an emergency call to the French authorities.
He landed the plane at Toulouse-Blagnac airport, where a unit of the Air Transport Gendarmerie Company (CGTA) was waiting.
They stormed on board, and the man was removed by four officers after they restrained him and placed him in handcuffs.
The investigating source said: “He was very drunk, and taken to a Border Police cell to sober up.
“His blood alcohol level was so high that it was a number of hours before he could be spoken to.
“Around four of his friends were taken off the flight at the same time, and arrested.
“The principal accused is now at the centre of a judicial enquiry, and faces trial and a punishment of up to five years.”
CGTA commander Ludovic Fornari meanwhile praised the “extreme professionalism” of his team, and the other French units “who cooperated with us”.
A police source in Toulouse confirmed the flight was diverted to the city at “around 9.30pm on Friday”.
After the troublemakers were removed, the flight was cleared for take-off again, and left at 10.15pm.
A video posted on TikTok by a passenger shows the arrest of the drunken men by the police.
“To cut a long story short, two rowdy bachelor party boys started fighting several times, ignored the crew, and refused to sit down,” said one passenger.
“They shouldn't have even boarded the plane – they were openly drinking duty-free in the departure lounge and could barely stand up.”
While the first two men agreed to leave the plane, violence escalated when a man wearing a baseball cap was asked to leave.
“No, no, no, no, it's not possible,” he shouted, before jumping up from his seat. He was then restrained by officers.
His neighbour, who appeared to be his son, attempted to oppose the arrest by claiming that it was the others who “started it.”
A Ryanair spokesman said: “This flight from London-Luton to Alicante was diverted to Toulouse after several passengers disrupted the flight.
“The crew then requested the intervention of the police, who met the plane upon arrival at Toulouse airport and disembarked these passengers before the flight returned to its original destination.’
Ryanair “has a zero-tolerance policy for unacceptable passenger behavior and will continue to take strict measures to address it, ensuring all passengers and crew have a smooth and enjoyable journey, without unnecessary disruption,” the spokesman said.
Ryanair has been complaining about the behavior of drunk British passengers on its planes for years.
IATA, the global airline association, said in May: “The growing trend in incidents involving unruly passengers is worrying.”
In France, 40 drunk incidents per 1,000 flights were reported by French airlines last year in 2024, compared to 30 in 2021, according to figures by French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).
Michael O'Leary, the head of Ryanair, is demanding that airport bars limit the sale of alcohol to passengers to two drinks.
U.S. company Delta Airlines is even calling for the creation of a national blacklist to ban individuals of drunk flying from from flying on all American airlines.
As in Britain, the maximum penalty for “endangering the safety of an aircraft” in France is five years in prison, plus a fine equivalent to around £60,000.
Anyone charged with being “drunk on a plane” in France or in the UK faces a maximum sentence of two years, with a fine equivalent to around £4000.
