The Irish airline has accused the passenger of causing a 40-minute departure delay to the flight FR2001 from Lanzaro to Santiago on 17 January 2025.

It says the passenger, who claimed to have “diplomatic immunity”, attempted to take a seat that was not assigned to him and became verbally abusive when crew asked to see his boarding card.

The passenger was ultimately removed from the flight by the Guardia Civil.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are on a family holiday, are suffering unnecessary delay as a result of one unruly passenger’s behaviour.

“Yet this was regrettably the case for passengers on this flight from Lanzarote to Santiago in January, during which a disruptive passenger caused a departure delay due to his misconduct.

“We have initiated a private criminal prosecution against this passenger, in which the court may impose a sentence of three to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of six to 18 months’ salary.

“These are just some of the potential consequences under Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy for passengers who disrupt flights.

“We hope this example will deter further disruptive behaviour on Ryanair flights, so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment as is their right.”

Ryanair has said it is cracking down on unruly passengers, having launched civil proceedings in the Irish courts against an allegedly disruptive passenger for the first time earlier this year.