A British passenger on a Ryanair flight from Zadar Airport (ZAD) in Croatia to London Stansted Airport (STN) attempted to open the aircraft door while it was taxiing for takeoff on June 30, 2023.
The chaotic scene was captured on video by fellow passengers. The footage shows the agitated man, who is reported to be a boxer, standing in the aisle and shouting at passengers and cabin crew.
He then lunged towards the front part of the aircraft, demanding that the door be opened, when two other passengers intervened and began to tackle him.
Here is a clip from a different angle:
The aircraft was reportedly moving along the runway and preparing for take off at the time of the incident. Many of the passengers on the flight to Stansted attended the Croatian music festival Hideout, which took place at the end of June 2023 on the island of Pag.
“This flight from Zadar to London Stansted returned to the stand when an individual passenger became disruptive while preparing for takeoff. The passenger was removed from the aircraft by local police before the flight continued safely to London Stansted. This is now a matter for local police. We sincerely apologize to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this passenger’s disruptive behavior,” a Ryanair spokesperson told various media outlets.
Another video clip was also uploaded online, showing the disruptive passenger being taken away by police:
He currently remains in custody on suspicion of assaulting an officer.