Chaos at 30,000 feet: When a flight from Gran Canaria turns into a nightmare
A scream. A punch. A cry. Desperate cries for help. That was how 220 passengers experienced moments of sheer panic inside a TUI plane on the Gran Canaria-Birmingham route. It was in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a passenger, presumably drunk, violently assaulted a member of the crew, unleashing chaos inside the cabin.
It all started as the plane was beginning to land. The man, out of his mind, got up from his seat shouting that the plane was going to crash. He headed for the toilet, ignoring a flight attendant who ordered him to remain seated. He sat down again. Then he got up again. And then, without warning, he punched the flight attendant in the face, the British newspaper The Sun reported.
“The man went from being calm to throwing punches. He was extremely erratic,” said a witness. From there, the situation became untenable. Crew members began shouting for help. The scene was so intense that several flight attendants ended up crying from nerves. One witness noted that they even had to be told to stop screaming because they were scaring the children.
Meanwhile, some passengers tried to restrain the attacker, without success. The crew went so far as to use a restraint kit designed to control violent individuals, but the man resisted even after landing. For almost an hour, tension reigned on board. The fear was real. No one was allowed to leave. The police had not yet arrived.
Finally, West Midlands Police officers boarded the plane. The assailant raised his hands, saying “Arrest me,” but resisted again. He was knocked down and handcuffed on top of other passengers, to the astonished gaze of everyone. Only then, after an hour of panic, were the passengers able to leave the plane. The individual was taken away in a police van while the rest of the occupants broke into applause, more out of relief than celebration.
A troubling pattern: Other incidents on Canary Islands flights
This episode is not isolated. Two previous incidents have occurred on Spanish flights this year, causing alarm and concern among travelers to and from the popular Canary Islands destinations.
On January 17, a Ryanair flight on the Lanzarote-Santiago de Compostela route was delayed for 40 minutes when a man posed as a UN diplomat to demand a front-row seat. He ignored the crew, refused to show his boarding card, and had to be forcibly removed by the Guardia Civil.
In April, a Ryanair flight from Tenerife experienced another surreal episode: a couple asked for a packet of Pringles, a bottle of water, and a Coca-Cola worth about €8. Unable to pay by card, the crew called the police, who escorted them upon landing in Bristol. The couple were banned by the airline.
And in May, after a flight from Edinburgh, a 36-year-old Scottish passenger attacked a civil guard at Lanzarote airport, breaking his finger. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and fined €8,745 plus compensation. The authorities highlighted the shortage of police personnel during the high season, a particular concern for the busy Canary Islands airports that serve millions of tourists annually.
Airlines fight back: New policies and hefty fines
Faced with this type of behavior, which is becoming increasingly frequent, Ryanair has recently decided to take firm action. Just this June, the Irish airline announced a new policy involving a minimum fine of €500 for any passenger who is removed from a flight for misbehavior.
“This is just the beginning,” the airline said. “In addition, we will be taking certain cases to court to claim compensation.” The move comes after an increase in on-board incidents, such as the altercation over unpaid Pringles in Tenerife, or the passenger who posed as a diplomat to demand preferential treatment on a flight from Lanzarote.
In January, Ryanair sued a passenger for €15,000, setting a precedent with its zero-tolerance policy. A spokesperson for the airline stressed that “disruptive behavior in such a small shared space is unacceptable, and we hope our proactive strategy will act as a deterrent.”
These actions are intended to deter passengers from aggressive, rude, or disobedient behavior, and to protect both crew and fellow passengers. The message is clear: whoever ruins a flight will pay for it. For travelers planning trips to the beautiful Canary Islands, these measures aim to ensure safer and more pleasant journeys for everyone on board.