Police drag drunken passenger off Manchester-to-Ibiza flight before take-off
Video shows officers carrying a man by his arms and legs from the aircraft after he refused to wear a seatbelt, delaying the flight by more than two hours.
A Manchester-to-Ibiza flight was delayed for more than two hours after police dragged a reportedly drunk passenger off the aircraft before take-off when he refused to fasten his seatbelt, witnesses said. Fellow passenger Carmela Colasurdo captured the moment, describing a scene in which officers carried the man down the aisle.
Boarding had been on schedule on Sept. 13, but crew halted pushback as authorities intervened after the passenger allegedly refused to cooperate and appeared intoxicated. Colasurdo said the man would not fasten his belt, and police were summoned about two hours after the initial delay. In the video, two officers carry the man by his arms and legs toward the back of the plane and place him into the rear of a police van.
The episode comes amid a broader pattern of disrupted flights linked to unruly behavior aboard. Earlier this month, a drunk passenger on a Ryanair flight from Bournemouth to Girona sparked a chaotic incident, prompting the aircraft to divert to Toulouse after attempts to open an emergency exit. Video and witness accounts described a fracas in which several passengers restrained the man, who allegedly spat at and punched others before being pinned to the floor with a seatbelt extender around his ankles. The flight later resumed to Girona with police awaiting the aircraft in Toulouse.
Ryanair said the Bournemouth-to-Girona service was diverted after a disruptive passenger activity and stressed a zero-tolerance policy toward misconduct, adding that it would take decisive action to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
In the Toulouse episode, 13 French police carried the man across the runway to the aircraft’s offload area, where he was removed before the flight continued. Witnesses described a tense scene, with some passengers shaken by the confrontation. The airline’s management reiterated its commitment to preventing disruption and safeguarding the travel environment for all travelers and staff.
The Daily Mail reported that Manchester Airport had been contacted for comment on the Ibiza incident. The broader aviation sector has increasingly highlighted zero-tolerance rules for unruly behavior as airlines and airports work to deter dangerous actions on board and during boarding and disembarkation.