A Ryanair flight from Agadir to London turned into a nightmare when a violent mass brawl broke out between passengers, forcing an emergency landing in Marrakech on Wednesday.
Flight RUK3034 was en route to Stansted Airport when chaos erupted just 36 minutes into the four-hour journey. The incident, reportedly sparked by a dispute over seating arrangements, escalated quickly, prompting immediate action from the flight crew.
According to eyewitnesses, tensions had been building since boarding. A man in his late 20s requested to switch seats with a mother sitting next to her daughter so he could sit with his wife and young children. When the woman refused, the man’s persistent threats led the woman’s husband to step in to defend her.
“It was like the flight from hell. And it all escalated from that one passenger wanting to change seats,” a fellow passenger told The Sun. “They were trying to punch each other. One of the families was part of a larger group so other passengers started to join in.”
Video footage captured the chaotic scene as passengers screamed, pushed, and threw punches in the aisle while cabin crew tried to restore order. The aggressive man could be heard shouting, “They think I’m a terrorist. That’s why they’re bringing the whole army here to take me down. Give me my f bag. I will whack your jaw bruv.”
As the violence escalated, the pilot made the critical decision to divert the plane to Marrakech, where Moroccan police could offload the “disruptive” passengers.
During the brawl, another passenger fell ill and required oxygen at 30,000 feet, adding to the tension and urgency. Upon landing, Moroccan police met the plane and removed nine passengers involved in the altercation.
The flight, carrying around 200 passengers, was delayed overnight as the crew had reached their maximum flying hours during the incident. After a cancellation on Thursday morning, passengers finally resumed their journey to Stansted the following evening, on July 4th.
A spokesperson for Ryanair provided a statement: “This flight from Agadir to London Stansted (3 July) diverted to Marrakech after a small group of passengers became disruptive, and during which time another passenger became ill onboard. Crew called ahead for both medical and police assistance, which met the aircraft upon arrival at Marrakech.
“The small group of disruptive passengers were then removed from the aircraft by airport gendarmerie. The passenger who became ill was provided with oxygen onboard before being treated by airport medics, who determined that they were not fit-to-fly. This passenger refused to disembark and became abusive towards crew and was also removed from the aircraft by airport gendarmerie.
“As it took almost 2 hours in total to treat and offload these disruptive passengers, the crew reached their permitted flying hours and the flight was delayed overnight.
“Affected passengers were provided with overnight accommodation and transport to/from the airport. This flight departed to London the following day (4 July).
“We sincerely apologise to passengers for this diversion and subsequent delay caused by a small group of disruptive passengers, which was out of Ryanair’s control.”
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential for in-flight disputes to escalate and the critical role of flight crews in ensuring passenger safety.