A Ryanair flight traveling from Milan to London Stansted Airport was forced to make an emergency landing in France after two passengers began behaving erratically, according to a report by the New York Post.
One of the individuals reportedly began chewing pages from his passport, while the other attempted to dispose of his passport by flushing it down the toilet.
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The situation caused alarm among passengers, with one describing the descent as “the most terrifying 15 minutes of my life.”
An anonymous passenger told the Daily Star that roughly 15 to 20 minutes after takeoff, when the seatbelt signs were turned off, the cabin crew was alerted to the strange behaviour. The atmosphere on board quickly shifted as confusion and anxiety grew.
According to the witness, one of the men began tearing his passport apart and eating the pages, causing panic among fellow passengers. The second man walked to the opposite end of the plane and locked himself in the bathroom, where he attempted to flush his passport. A flight attendant tried to intervene by knocking forcefully on the lavatory door and ordering him to open it, but he refused, escalating the tension on board.
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Following this, the flight attendant made a stark and direct announcement over the intercom, which further alarmed passengers, many of whom still had no idea what was happening.
Due to the disruption, the pilot decided to divert the flight to Paris
One passenger described the final minutes before landing as the most frightening experience they had ever had.
After the plane landed safely, French authorities detained the two disruptive passengers. Once the situation was under control, the aircraft was cleared to continue its journey to London, NDTV reported.
The witness also commended the Ryanair crew, saying, “I think Ryanair handled the situation really well. They even handed out drinks as we approached Stansted, which was a nice gesture.”
