Police escort passenger off plane after he was caught smoking in the toilet

Images show the moment a Ryanair passenger was escorted off a plane after he was caught smoking in the cabin toilets, as police say he has been banned from flying with the airline. The man, wearing a grey t-shirt, shorts, a baseball cap, and flip-flops, was met by police at Manchester Airport and escorted off the aircraft after it touched down from Palma on Tuesday.

Another passenger, who was travelling with his two young daughters, said people on the flight were left “on edge,” including his girls who were “pretty frightened”.

“One of the flight attendants could smell smoke coming from the toilet,” he told the Manchester Evening News, “so they took all his details and then announced it to the whole plane.”

“I was really pleased because they'd named and shamed the person. If you're willing to have a smoke and put 180 souls on board lives at risk, then you should be named and shamed.”

The witness described the response from Ryanair's cabin crew as “fantastic”. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “The crew of this flight from Palma to Manchester on Tuesday (May 30th) called ahead for police assistance after a passenger was found smoking onboard. The passenger was removed from the aircraft by police upon landing at Manchester Airport.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman confirmed officers had attended the incident. He said that the passenger was not arrested “as Ryanair did not want to pursue a prosecution.”

“They have however made the decision to ban the passenger from flying with them”, he added.