Ryanair flight RK5593 from Edinburgh to Lanzarote was forced to return after just half an hour due to the disruptive behaviour of three intoxicated passengers. The Boeing 737-800 with registration G-RUKJ, which departed at 16:20 on Friday, was already delayed by an hour and a half from its original departure time of 14:15.
A fellow passenger reported that one of the unruly individuals showed signs of drunkenness before takeoff, emitting a strong odour of alcohol and openly smoking an electronic cigarette. During the flight, the group began shouting and produced an almost empty vodka bottle, prompting the flight attendant to confiscate both the bottle and the e-cigarette.
Incidents on flights from the UK to the Canary Islands are becoming increasingly common.
The pilot decided to return to Edinburgh just thirty minutes into the flight. Upon landing, police officers boarded the plane and arrested the troublesome passengers.
The remaining passengers had to wait inside the aircraft for another hour before resuming their journey to Lanzarote, eventually arriving at 23:15 instead of 18:50. Affected passengers expressed their frustration, noting they were not even offered water during the delay.
Source: La Provincia, Flightradar24
