British stag do brawls with French police after flight forced to land
The men had been "loud and unruly" on the flight
A British stag do forced a flight to land as terrified passengers complained about rowdy behaviour.
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A Ryanair flight bound for Alicante was forced to divert to Toulouse on Friday after a disruptive stag party caused havoc in the cabin, ending with several arrests by French police.
Chaotic footage showed officers boarding the aircraft, clashing with rowdy passengers and dragging them from their seats as other travellers looked on.
Passenger Tania Nichols, who filmed the drama, said the men had been “loud and unruly” even before take-off from London Luton.
“They were moving around the cabin, swapping seats and ignoring basic safety protocols,” she told the Daily Mail.
Ms Nichols said that as soon as the flight took off, the group, that appeared to be on a stag do, began drinking duty-free alcohol and “engaging in loud, inappropriate conversations all within earshot of young children.”
She said the groom appeared to distance himself from the worst behaviour but noted tensions flared when two men in the group clashed.
“They were visibly pushing, clashing heads, and one man’s shirt was torn as others attempted to separate them,” she recalled.
Ms Nichols claimed that some of the group spat on seats, put their feet on headrests, and even kicked one woman in the head.
She said parents on board reportedly pleaded with the men to watch their language around children, but the disturbances continued until the pilot announced an unscheduled landing.
Police boarded the aircraft in Toulouse and began removing passengers.
"When it became clear that the majority of the group, excluding the stag himself, were being removed, tensions escalated further,” Nichols said.
Footage shows one man resisting arrest, shouting: “You’re making a mistake if you’re coming for me.”
His son attempted to defend him, yelling “That’s my dad,” before also being led off the plane.
Other men were restrained and escorted down the aisle to cheers from fellow passengers.
Nichols praised the airline staff: “Throughout the entire ordeal, the cabin crew were absolutely outstanding - remaining calm, professional, and doing everything they could to manage the situation and reassure other passengers.
"They handled an incredibly difficult situation with grace and professionalism, and they deserve to be recognised for their efforts.”
Ryanair told LBC: "This flight from London Luton to Alicante (26 Sept) diverted to Toulouse after a small group of passengers became disruptive onboard.
"Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Toulouse Airport and offloaded these passengers before this flight continued to Alicante.
"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 respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption. This is now a matter for local police."