Unruly passengers flying with Ryanair could now face jail time, as the Ireland-based budget airline continues to crack down on disruptive behavior it says has risen in recent years.
A 61-year-old man from Wales was sentenced to 10 months in a United Kingdom court after his actions — including threatening and verbally abusing a crew member while intoxicated — forced a pilot to abort a landing at Bristol Airport in England last year, the Avon and Somerset Police said Tuesday.
Ryanair welcomed the conviction and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on passenger misconduct, introduced in 2024, as it looks to curb delays and disruptions caused by a few disorderly travelers.
“We welcome the Bristol Crown Court’s conviction of this unruly passenger whose inexcusable behaviour disrupted a flight from Krakow to Bristol in November 2025,” Ryanair Communications Director Jade Kirwan said.
“This demonstrates just one of the many consequences (including travel bans and offload fines) that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy. We hope this conviction will further deter disruptive behaviour on flights so that both passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment.”
Police identified the unruly, intoxicated passenger as Stephen Blofield, who was traveling on a flight from Poland to the United Kingdom on Nov. 11, 2025. He was sentenced to 10 months after pleading guilty in February to multiple charges, authorities said.
During the flight, Blofield allegedly became aggressive and volatile after consuming his own duty-free alcohol, according to aviation outlet Paddle Your Own Kanoo.
Prosecutors said he created a fearful atmosphere onboard when he reportedly began swearing and verbally abusing a crew member and nearby passengers, ignoring instructions to remain seated during landing, and ultimately forcing the pilot to initiate a go-around maneuver, delaying the touchdown to ensure safety, the Bristol Post reported.
“Stephen Blofield caused the initial landing to be aborted and continued to be verbally abusive towards cabin crew. He was met by officers at Bristol Airport once the flight had safely landed,” Inspector Christian Gresswell, of the Bristol Airport policing team, said.
“An intoxicated passenger can pose an unacceptable risk to safety, and that’s why we take the offense so seriously.”
Blofield pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to four charges: being drunk on an aircraft, behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards a crew member, behaving in a manner likely to cause harassment and distress, and failing to comply with lawful commands of a pilot.
Incidents involving unruly passengers on Ryanair have risen in recent years, with the airline publicly welcoming the convictions of disruptive travelers.
Last year, a passenger was found guilty of exhibiting “inexcusable behavior” that forced a 2024 flight to divert to Rzeszów, Poland, during a journey from Glasgow, Scotland, to Kraków, Poland, the airline said in an announcement commending the conviction.
In 2024, a Ryanair flight was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after departing Morocco when a mass brawl erupted among passengers.
In 2023, video captured another brawl that led to three Ryanair passengers being kicked off an aircraft, causing a delay ahead of takeoff from Manchester, England, to Ibiza, Spain.
FOX Business’ Stephen Sorace, Pilar Arias and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
