The dramatic video captures the moment officers boarded the flight after being called to the scene, with a woman arrested after someone allegedly tried to open an exit mid-flight
Dramatic footage has captured the moment police boarded a Ryanair flight after a passenger allegedly tried to open an emergency exit mid-flight.
The video shows the moments after a passenger was escorted off the plane by Greater Manchester Police officers after a fellow traveller alleged someone tried to “open an emergency exit” mid-flight, according to a fellow traveller. Footage filmed by a passenger on the aircraft shows Greater Manchester Police officers retrieving belongings from the overhead lockers above the seats.
The officers can then be seen making their way down the aisle towards the front exit of the aircraft. The flight from Manchester to Agadir, in Morocco, had to be diverted back to Manchester Airport on Monday morning, August 25, after taking off at 9am.
It began flying south of Manchester before turning around and circling back to Manchester, where it waited for a slot to land. The process took around an hour.
A passenger on the plane told the Manchester Evening News: “The Ryanair flight RK1266 from Manchester for Agadir in Morocco was diverted back to Manchester Airport due to a passenger attempting to open emergency exit.
“However she was only able to get the plastic covering off and as a result was unsuccessful, as other passengers stopped her and made cabin crew aware of the situation at 9.30am, who then made the captain aware.
“The passenger was moved from the emergency exit seat and the captain remained at the emergency exit until we landed back at Manchester Airport.
“The plane landed safely and the passenger involved was escorted off the plane by Greater Manchester Police. Engineers came to check the door and replaced the plastic covers.”
Greater Manchester Police officers boarded the aircraft when it touched down again, roughly an hour afterwards. A woman was detained when the flight safely returned to the airport, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson has confirmed.
A Ryanair spokesperson disclosed what occurred on the aircraft in a statement. They told the Manchester Evening News: “This flight from Manchester to Agadir (25 Aug) diverted to back to Manchester shortly after take-off after a passenger became disruptive onboard.
“Crew called ahead for police assistance, who met the aircraft upon landing at Manchester Airport and offloaded this passenger before this flight continued to Agadir.
“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 safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption.”
The flight, RUK1266, eventually completed its journey after departing again at 11.22am, according to Flight Aware data.
