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A Ryanair plane flying from Agadir to London Stansted had to make an unexpected stop in Marrakech on Wednesday due to an all-out brawl among passengers over seating. A Ryanair plane flying from Agadir to London Stansted had to make an unexpected stop in Marrakech on Wednesday due to an all-out brawl among passengers over seating. Just 36 minutes after taking off, the fight erupted, forcing the pilot to change course and divert the 4-hour flight.
According to an eyewitness on board, things got heated when a man in his late 20s asked a mother sitting with her daughter to swap seats so he could sit with his wife and kids. When the mother declined, the man kept pestering her, leading the woman's husband to step in and 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."
Cabin footage captured passengers yelling, pushing, and exchanging blows in the aisle as crew frantically tried to stop the chaos. "They're treating me like a terrorist," the irate passenger can be heard saying. "That's why they're bringing the whole army here to take me down. Give me my f***ing bag. I will whack your jaw, bruv."
With the situation rapidly spiraling out of control, the pilot decided to divert to Marrakech so the "disruptive" passengers could be removed. Another passenger also fell ill during the fracas and required oxygen at 30,000 feet.
Upon landing in Marrakech, Moroccan police boarded the aircraft and removed nine passengers involved in the brawl. However, the flight was then delayed overnight after the crew reached their maximum permitted flying hours during the removal process.
Around 200 passengers were stranded as a result. After a cancellation the next morning, they eventually continued on to Stansted the following evening.
In a statement, Ryanair said, "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." The airline apologized for the "diversion and subsequent delay caused by a small group of disruptive passengers, which was out of Ryanair's control."
The incident highlights the disruptive impact unruly passenger behavior can have on flights. While regulatory agencies work on measures to deter air rage, the onus also falls on travelers to exercise restraint and resolve conflicts through proper channels to avoid endangering the safety and travel plans of those around them.
