Aggressive passenger severely disrupts Ryanair flight between Charleroi and Dublin

On Friday 18 January, an Irish passenger disrupted Ryanair’s evening flight FR47 between Brussels South Charleroi Airport and Dublin. Around 40 minutes before landing, a passenger came running from the back of the aircraft and started hitting a randomly chosen Belgian male passenger in the face.

Rob Vermeiren, one of the passengers explains the situation to Aviation24.be: “Other passengers were able to restrain the – presumably drunk – passenger from hitting other passengers by holding him firmly to the ground. After a while the situation settled, the cabin crew freed up a seat row to seat the aggressor, unrestrained and unaccompanied.

During approach while the lights were dimmed, however, the brawler jumped out of his seat again, and started attacking another random passenger. Other passengers intervened and tried to keep the groaning man to the ground during touch-down.”

After landing, armed police officers entered the plane and arduously removed the aggressive man off the plane with his head down and covered, while the wounded passenger (swollen and bruised face) was escorted to an ambulance.

Half-an-hour after landing, other passengers – many were shocked by the act of random and senseless violence, could disembark the aircraft.

Update: on Sunday evening, Rob met the injured passenger. The Irish passenger spend the night in jail and appeared before court on Saturday. Although he couldn’t remember the aggression, he pleaded guilty. The case will continue once the medical check-up of the injured passenger has been completed.