Three men involved in a disturbance on a Ryanair flight from Liverpool to Dublin at the weekend are to appear in Swords District Court this morning. All three are in their 30s and are expected to be charged with assault and public order offences. A fourth man suffered a broken nose during the fracas.
Ryanair had to summon assistance from the gardai and Dublin airport security personnel when flight FR449 arrived at 11.55 p.m. on Sunday. A fight had broken out between members of a group which boarded the plane at 11.10 p.m. Ryanair cabin crew separated them, but trouble resumed during the flight and the pilot signalled for help as the plane approached Dublin.
There were only 84 passengers on the Ryanair 737, which can carry 130. This allowed crew to separate the group from other passengers. A spokeswoman for Ryanair said the trouble caused by the group, comprising no more than 12 people, was handled "in a safe and professional manner."
"Ryanair regrets any upset to other passengers on board the flight", she added. "The airline will not accept misbehaviour by passengers on board any of its flights."