A video showing police forcing a passenger off a Ryanair flight at Faro Airport has gone viral, with the passenger claiming he did nothing wrong after a stewardess accused him of punching her.
According to reports, Rafik Boutiche, 20, was returning from a music festival in the Algarve and was on his way back to London when a female flight attendant objected to him moving seats to be next to his friend Islam Fessih.
Police were called after she accused him of pushing her, which he denied.
Footage shows PSP police agents trying to unsuccessfully convince Boutiche to get off the flight. The young man repeatedly says that he “did not push” the flight attendant and says that other passengers were “witnesses”.
He also threatens to “sue” the police agents if they touch him. Eventually, the agents begin to use force to get him off the plane as he screams that they are “hurting his neck” and his friend urges him not to resist.
When Boutiche and his friend got off the plane, they were taken to a police station within the airport before being released without charge.
Speaking to Mirror Onlineafter the incident, Boutiche said he had “never experienced anything like this”.
“My hand is cut up; it’s burning me at the moment. My ankle has been sprained and my neck is hurting me. We’re just two young lads, we’re not looking for trouble, we just wanted to get back home,” he said.
“I never thought it was possible to go through what I’ve gone through. It’s made me very emotional,” he added.
After being removed from the flight, the pair had to stay another night in Portugal before arranging a flight with another airline.
Meantime, Islam Fessih has taken to Twitter to reveal that he received an email from Ryanair informing him that he is “prohibited from flying with Ryanair again”.
“Please be advised that your personal details have been highlighted and you will not be accepted to travel on any Ryanair flight in the future,” the email says.
“Please do not make any reservations for travel with Ryanair as once you log your personal details, our system will highlight your reservation and you will be denied travel without refund,” it adds.
TheResidenthas contacted Ryanair for comment.
To see video, click here.
