Ryanair Passenger Removed For Vaping In Toilet, Delaying Flight

A passenger was escorted off a Ryanair flight after he was caught allegedly vaping in the bathroom, resulting in a two-hour delay. The incident took place at the Edinburgh Airport in Scotland last month when the flight was bound for Alicante, Spain.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 9:45 am local time, but was delayed after a staffer fell ill. The passenger, believed to be a 21-year-old man, was removed after being accused of committing an aviation offence. Six police officers boarded the plane and arrested him for further questioning.

As per Tristan James Walker, 39, one of the eye-witnesses, the accused was caught after the lavatory smoke detector went off. As per Mr Walker, the accused was lighting his e-cigarette inside like it was an in-flight smoking lounge.

"A young lad in a group happened to set the alarm off for apparently vaping. The pilot then came out after the air stewardess explained what happened, and then the pilot stated he would be removed from the plane. He was taken off, he was very calm, didn't argue or anything, no drama," Mr Walker was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

"We then happened to bump into him on Benidorm's famous strip and he told us he just got a caution and was banned from Ryanair," he added.

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Couple caught vaping

This is not the first incident where a passenger smoking on the plane has led to long delays. Last month, a TUI Airways flight was stranded for over 17 hours after a couple was caught smoking in the bathroom mid-flight.

Flight BY49, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, took off from Cancun, Mexico, but had to be diverted to Bangor International Airport in Maine. The couple smoking in the restroom were believed to be drunk and taken away, while the remaining passengers waited.

The original flight crew ended up not being able to continue as they would have exceeded their legal working hours. As a result, a relief flight had to be dispatched from the UK to the US to ferry them to their destination.