Ryanair is taking legal action against disruptive passengers, seeking $15,400 in damages from an individual accused of causing a disturbance on a flight last year.
The Ireland-based budget carrier, which is Europe's largest airline, announced on Wednesday that it has initiated legal proceedings against the passenger, citing an incident on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, Spain, in April 2022.
"This passenger's inexcusable behavior forced this flight to divert to Porto where it was delayed overnight, causing 160 passengers to face unnecessary disruption," the airline said in a statement.
Ryanair stated it has filed a case in the Irish Circuit Court to recover costs associated with the delay, including overnight accommodations, passenger expenses, and landing fees.
Disruptive behavior on Ryanair flights has been a recurring issue in recent years. In November, the UK's Independent reported that a Ryanair flight to Tenerife, Spain, had to alert authorities before landing after multiple passengers caused disturbances, including one individual urinating in the aisle.
A passenger who disrupted a Ryanair flight to Athens in 2020 was convicted last month by a Greek court. The individual received a five-month suspended jail sentence and was fined $412.
"This demonstrates just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair's zero tolerance policy," a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement.
CNN, which cited a spokesperson for Ryanair, said that this was the first time the company has taken civil action against a passenger in Ireland.
"We plan to pursue civil action against disruptive passengers as a move towards eliminating disruptive passenger behavior," the spokesperson added.
