A British man was today facing up to five years in prison after allegedly attempting to open the doors of a packed Ryanair plane while it was in mid-flight. The accused – who had not been publicly named – was in custody in the city of Toulouse on Monday, it has been reported.

He is alleged to be “the ring leader” of a stag group of “drunk men” who were dragged off the flight by elite special forces police last Friday. The plane was on a low-cost route between London-Luton airport and Alicante, in the south of Spain, but was forced to make an emergency landing in France.

“He was next to an emergency door, and trying to open it,” an investigating source claimed. “It was terrifying for everybody else on the flight. The pilot had no other option except to land the plane.”

After repeated warnings from cabin crew, the Captain of the flight made an emergency call to the French authorities.

He landed the plane at Toulouse-Blagnac airport, where a unit of the Air Transport Gendarmerie Company (CGTA) was waiting.

They stormed on board, and the man was removed by four officers after they restrained him and placed him in handcuffs.

The investigating source claimed: “He was very drunk, and taken to a Border Police cell to sober up. His blood alcohol level was so high that it was a number of hours before he could be spoken to.

“Around four of his friends were taken off the flight at the same time, and arrested. The principal accused is now at the centre of a judicial enquiry, and faces trial and a punishment of up to five years.”

CGTA commander Ludovic Fornari meanwhile praised the “extreme professionalism” of his team, and the other French units “who cooperated with us”.

A police source in Toulouse confirmed the flight was diverted to the city at “around 9.30pm on Friday”.

After the alleged troublemakers were removed, the flight was cleared for take-off again, and left at 10.15pm.

A video posted on TikTok by a passenger shows the arrest of the men by the police. “To cut a long story short, two rowdy bachelor party boys started fighting several times, ignored the crew, and refused to sit down,’ one passenger claimed.

“They shouldn’t have even boarded the plane – they were openly drinking duty-free in the departure lounge and could barely stand up.

While the first two men agreed to leave the plane, the situation escalated when a man wearing a baseball cap was asked to leave.
“No, no, no, no, it’s not possible,” he shouted, before being restrained by officers.

His neighbour, who appeared to be his son, attempted to oppose the arrest by claiming that it was the others who “started it”.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from London-Luton to Alicante was diverted to Toulouse after several passengers disrupted the flight.

“The crew then requested the intervention of the police, who met the plane upon arrival at Toulouse airport and disembarked these passengers before the flight returned to its original destination.”

Ryanair ‘has a zero-tolerance policy for unacceptable passenger behavior and will continue to take strict measures to address it, ensuring all passengers and crew have a smooth and enjoyable journey, without unnecessary disruption,’ the spokesman said.