Watch: Ryanair Flight Diverted After Mid-Air Brawl, Man Dragged Off Plane by Police

A Ryanair flight from the UK to Spain took an unexpected turn when a mid-flight brawl involving eight men that forced the plane to divert to Portugal.

The incident occurred on Ryanair flight 3511, en route from Luton to Lanzarote, at around 8:15 am on January 19, The Daily Mail reported. The flight, scheduled to land in Arrecife, was diverted to Faro, Portugal, landing around 10:50 am, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

A group of intoxicated men began bothering female passengers, prompting a flight attendant to intervene, the New York Post reported on Saturday. After the brawl ensued, the flight attendant was knocked over. The captain subsequently addressed passengers via the loudspeaker, warning the passengers against “unacceptable behaviour” and threatening to land the plane in Portugal if the disturbances persisted.

Despite the warning, the disruptive passengers continued their unruly behaviour, leading to the decision to land in the city of Faro in southern Portugal. When asked to deboard, one passenger voluntarily exited but later reboarded. Portuguese authorities then forcibly removed him, placing him in a headlock. Onlookers recorded the incident, with fellow passengers heard encouraging the police. The unruly passenger was eventually placed in a police car. “Bye-bye mate!” one man is heard shouting. Another woman shouted, “Well done!”

Portugal’s Public Security Police confirmed the incident, saying that eight passengers engaged in shouting, hitting cabin luggage lockers, and disobeying instructions from the flight crew. One passenger, described as hostile and resistant, required physical force for removal. Following the police intervention, the flight departed Faro at 11:50 am and eventually reached its intended destination, Arrecife, at 1:20 pm.