Passenger smokes throughout Ryanair flight: Unruly travellers provoke police assistance across European skies

Crews on a Ryanair flight from Marseille to Madrid on Wednesday, April 1, requested immediate police presence after one passenger continuously smoked and defied all safety instructions from onboard staff. Spanish air traffic controllers reported the incident via their official X account, saying controllers shortened the approach to runway 32L for a safer, quicker landing.

Rising disruptive behaviour hits budget airlines hard

Such events reveal a worrying trend in European aviation. Passengers increasingly ignore crew commands regarding smoking, alcohol and aggression. Low-cost carriers operating popular leisure routes suffer most from these incidents.

Ryanair leads the fight against unruly passengers

Ryanair faces frequent cases of disruptive behaviour. The airline introduced €500 on-the-spot fines in 2025 for passengers removed from flights. Multiple court actions seek recovery of diversion costs, including a recent €3,000 lawsuit. One flight from Bournemouth to Girona diverted to Toulouse after a passenger tried opening an emergency door mid-air. Police removed the individuals in another case where a passenger urinated in the aisle en route to Tenerife.

Jet2 and easyJet also suffer this level of incidents. Jet2 imposed lifetime bans after violent brawls forced diversions, such as an Antalya to Manchester service diverted to Brussels, where police removed two fighting passengers. EasyJet crews have called police for intoxicated individuals causing chaos, resulting in significant delays on routes including Bristol to Newcastle.

Several recent examples of unruly passenger incidents across Europe in 2025 and early 2026 that triggered police requests on arrival or unscheduled diversions, similar to the Marseille–Madrid smoking case.

March 16, 2026 – Ryanair flight from Stansted to Alicante

Crews radioed Spanish controllers for police to meet the aircraft on landing after a group of ten disruptive passengers caused chaos onboard. Controllers shortened the approach for a safe touchdown at Alicante with no further issues; officers boarded immediately and made arrests.

March 5, 2026 – Flight from Malaga to Tenerife

Six conflictive passengers prompted the crew to divert urgently to Lanzarote and request police presence. Controllers gave priority to routing and direct approach; the aircraft landed safely while officers coordinated removal.

February 17, 2026 – Ryanair flight from Madrid to Ibiza

A drunk passenger had a meltdown on the runway, refusing to sit and demanding his phone stay on. Crews called for police assistance; the flight performed a full U-turn, leading to a two-hour delay while officers removed the individual.

Stronger penalties and better pre-flight screening could curb this trend, one supposes. What measures do Euro Weekly News readers believe airlines and authorities should introduce to tackle unruly passengers on European flights? Let us know in the comments below.

La tripulación del vuelo procedente de Marsella con destino #Madrid solicita presencia policial a su llegada porque llevan un pasajero que no deja de fumar y desobedecer las instrucciones de la propia tripulación.
Le recortamos la aproximación a pista 32L en lo posible,… pic.twitter.com/6kApwVtr0K

— 😉Controladores Aéreos 🇪🇸 (@controladores) April 1, 2026