Ryanair Reveals €15k Burden of Emergency Diversion to Porto

Monday, January 13, 2025

Ryanair revealed €15,000 in costs and major disruptions caused by an unruly passenger on an April 9 Dublin-to-Lanzarote flight, requiring a Porto diversion.

Ryanair, Europe’s leading passenger airline, shared a detailed account on Monday, January 13, of the costs and disruptions caused by an unruly passenger aboard its Dublin-to-Lanzarote flight on April 9, 2024. The passenger’s behavior necessitated an unscheduled landing in Porto, where the individual was removed from the aircraft and subsequently arrested. This unexpected diversion resulted in significant logistical and financial challenges for the airline.

Due to crew duty limitations, the aircraft, its crew, and over 160 passengers were compelled to stay overnight at Porto Airport. Ryanair fully covered the expenses for accommodations, meals, and other necessities. Additionally, the airline arranged for a replacement aircraft and crew to operate the delayed return flight from Lanzarote to Dublin, which was completed on April 10, 2024.

The incident led to substantial costs for Ryanair, with over 160 passengers and six crew members delayed overnight before continuing their journey to Lanzarote the next day. Addressing public discussions surrounding the diversion, Ryanair itemized the €15,000 expense incurred due to this disruptive incident.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said:

“None of these costs would have been incurred if this disruptive passenger had not forced a diversion to Porto in order to protect the safety of the aircraft, 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board. European Govts repeatedly fail to take action when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert. In this case, the Portuguese Prosecution ruled that because the aircraft and the passenger are Irish, this case should be transferred to Ireland. Ryanair is therefore taking a civil proceeding against this passenger in the Irish Courts to recover these costs, which were incurred wholly and exclusively as a result of the disruptive passenger’s behaviour, which caused not just a diversion, but an overnight in Porto of over 160 passengers and 6 crew member and the operating aircraft.

It is time that EU authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports. Airlines, like Ryanair, already restrict and limit the sale of alcohol on board our aircraft, particularly in disruptive passenger cases. However, during flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption. We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to 2 alcoholic drinks (using their boarding pass in exactly the same way they limit duty free sales), as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft, and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe.”

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