Ryanair has announced that it will start fining disruptive passengers a minimum of €500 if they have to be removed from a flight due to unruly behaviour. The Irish low-cost carrier introduced the measure in June and says it is intended to act as a ‘deterrent to eliminate unacceptable behaviour on board our aircraft’. In addition to the basic fine, Ryanair has stated that it will seek further civil damages if the disruption results in additional costs.
These could include the cost of diverting a flight, compensation for delayed passengers, and reimbursement for missed connections and lost holidays. In the most serious cases, the amount claimed could be several thousand euros. The airline added that it reserves the right to debit the fine directly from the payment card used to book the flight.
Ryanair, which carried over 200 million passengers across Europe in 2024–25, stresses that such behaviour is the result of a ‘tiny number’ of individuals. However, the consequences for other passengers and crew can range from minor and unpleasant inconveniences to safety issues requiring rerouting and emergency landings.
A number of disruptive incidents have occurred over the past year. One notable case occurred on a Dublin–Lanzarote flight, which had to be diverted to Porto after a passenger became aggressive on board. Ryanair has since claimed €15,000 in damages. In another case, a Glasgow – Cracow flight was forced to land in Rzeszów, Poland, to disembark an unruly passenger who was subsequently fined €3,230.
‘To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without the unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a €500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from the aircraft as a result of their misconduct,’ the airline said in a statement.
Last August, RyanAir CEO Michael O’Leary suggested limiting alcohol consumption or restricting its sale at airports, arguing that this could reduce cases of ‘travel rage’. He recommended that a ‘two-drink policy’ be introduced at airports to prevent passengers from abusing alcohol before their flight.
In the UK, any passenger who causes disruption on a flight may face substantial fines or even imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence. Those charged with drunkenness and/or violent behaviour may be fined up to £5,000 and imprisoned for up to two years. According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), disruptive passengers could be liable for the cost of diverting a plane, which can easily exceed €10,000.
While some online users have criticised Ryanair’s policy as excessive, others have defended it. One Reddit user said that the limit was ‘just right: not high enough to put people off flying with Ryanair, but high enough to make people think twice about misbehaving’.
