A British woman was dragged off a Ryanair flight and thrown to the ground by security officers after reportedly assaulting passengers and making bomb threats, forcing the plane to divert to Portugal.
Video footage captured the woman being escorted off the diverted aircraft by several security staff members. The incident occurred on a flight from Tenerife to Prestwick on May 18.
Another clip showed the woman being walked across the tarmac at the airport in Faro, Portugal. Later footage filmed inside an airport shuttle bus shows her backing away from two officers, one of whom appears to swing his fist toward her stomach before bringing her forcefully to the ground as another officer intervenes. An airport staff member can also be seen walking by as the woman was restrained.
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Blair Morgan, a passenger on the plane, told MailOnline that those on board were terrified after witnessing the woman’s aggressive behaviour.
He said: "The passenger made a [false] bomb threat towards everyone on the plane, along with saying she would 'bottle' people with a glass wine bottle.
"She was assaulting passengers whilst being drunk and vaping up and down the aisle. She was also standing up on seats, and taking people's headphones off and talking to them, threatening to hurt and bottle them.
"She kept getting up and acting like a big hard person, like she ran the plane."
Blair added: "A lot of passengers didn't know what to do. Everyone was distressed and scared. It was really scary – it's not something you really expect."
He explained that the woman, who told other passengers she was from Prestwick, Scotland, had been disruptive even before boarding, having loudly asked others at the gate where they were from.
"The flight attendants and pilots decided to divert to the closest airport in Faro, Portugal," Blair continued. "When we landed, authorities came onboard and arrested her. She was transferred to a bus outside the aircraft, where she became even more hostile.
"She was kicking, hitting, and spitting at the guards and the glass on the bus doors. The guards had no option other than pulling her to the ground."
He also confirmed the woman had been travelling with her boyfriend, who was also escorted off the flight before it continued to Prestwick.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "This flight from Tenerife South to Glasgow Prestwick diverted to Faro after a passenger became disruptive onboard.
"Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Faro Airport and offloaded this passenger before this flight continued to Glasgow Prestwick.
"Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption."
The incident comes after Spanish police recently stormed another Ryanair flight from Newcastle to Alicante after five passengers began causing chaos mid-air, prompting an emergency landing request.
