A Ryanair flight from Milan to London was diverted to Paris after two passengers began acting erratically approximately 15 minutes into the flight, destroying their passports in behavior that alarmed fellow travelers.
Ryanair flight FR8718 was redirected to Paris Beauvais Airport after crew members observed the unusual behavior, according to View From the Wing. One passenger described portions of the incident as “the scariest 15 minutes of my life”.
The anonymous passenger told the outlet that crew members were notified of “something very strange” happening at the front of the plane. “Suddenly the whole mood changed, no one onboard knew what was going on, these people were acting weird,” the traveler said.
One man reportedly began tearing pages from his passport and eating them, while a second man rushed to the lavatory and attempted to flush his passport down the toilet, causing concern among other passengers.
A flight attendant knocked on the lavatory door and asked the man to exit, which created “more tension” among passengers.
The pilot diverted the flight to Paris, where French law enforcement boarded the aircraft upon arrival and arrested both men. A Facebook video posted September 29 purportedly shows the arrest.
After the diversion, remaining passengers continued to London and were reportedly compensated by Ryanair, according to View From the Wing.
The anonymous passenger praised the airline’s handling of the situation. “It was really stressful but Ryanair handled it amazingly,” they said.
The incident highlights challenges airlines face managing disruptive passenger behavior during flights, where crew members must balance passenger safety with limited options for immediate intervention while airborne.
Destroying travel documents during international flights raises security concerns and typically results in immediate law enforcement involvement upon landing.
